kdsch123's Virtual Smallville Season 6
by kdsch123
Summary: These have nothing to do with my other stories. These are just to hold us over until the new seasons starts! Enjoy! Picks up where Vessel left off. I love feedback! Chloliver, Clark/Lori Lemaris,
1. Episode VS 1 Escape

Escape

"You look like you need a friend." A woman's voice stretched languidly out of the darkness of the Phantom Zone and touched Clark icily. "Son of Jor-El."

"Who are you?" Clark asked, looking around. His abilities seemed to not exist here, and the woman's chuckle sent chills up his spine.

"A condemned criminal, like just about everyone else here." The woman materialized out of the darkness, and Clark could now make out her features. His first thought was that she reminded him of a beautiful vampire, her skin marble white and free of any wrinkles, the eyes a cool and frosty blue and cheekbones sharp enough to cut leather. "Except you." As she came closer, Clark could make out the rest of her, all tight curves in black body armor, wicked looking, pointed fingernails capping each finger. "It would be quite delicious, if you hadn't been served to me here in this void." Her smile reminded Clark of a wolf. "Ursa. Mistress and lieutenant of Zod."

"Zod." Clark repeated, looking around. "How did he get out of here?"

"Zod couldn't be held by this…" Ursa looked around with a small smile playing on her lips. "Especially in spirit. Your father made a serious mistake there."

"And if you are so important to Zod, why did he leave you here?" Clark asked, and the older woman nodded, her eyes taking him in.

"I will be released once I complete my task." Ursa ran a fingernail down Clark's chest, ripping through his thin, blue t-shirt, leaving a long scratch that stung like fire. "Little boy. My orders are to destroy you completely. Leave you broken, so that Zod may remake you. The ultimate revenge against his greatest enemy, Jor-El." Her hand felt like ice on Clark's cheek. "How absolutely charming you are. So sweet, so innocent, so warm," Ursa licked her lips, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. "So unspoiled. It makes my orders so much easier to follow." Her nails sunk into the soft flesh of Clark's face, stinging and burning. Clark did not flinch, or make a sound, keeping his face expressionless, green eyes blazing. Ursa's blue eyes widened and her smile grew more vindictive. "Oh, Kal-El. You are brave, too. Just more and more appetizing. Well, no matter. I'm sure I will find a way to bring you to your knees."

There were hands everywhere. All Chloe Sullivan knew was that it seemed like every criminal in Metropolis had grabbed her, were searching her for valuables, trying to violate her. The faces and voices blurred and in her fear and desperation, Chloe could only register their hands. Help me! There was no screaming, at least Chloe could not register that she was screaming anymore. Blindly striking out, Chloe felt her hands make contact with noses, eyes. She struck and kicked at everyone, until a strong pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her free, arms like iron bars held her protectively. Clark! Chloe thought, but the voice she heard was not Clarks. From what she could see, her savior was wearing a dark business suit, and he a short blond beard.

"Get back!" Her rescuer's voice was deeper, more mature than Clark's. "One little black out and you people lose your minds. I can't wait to get back to Seattle."

Two men stepped closer, and then thought better of it and ran. The rest of the crowd walked away, grumbling at their interruption, but unwilling to challenge the newcomer. The alley was empty, except for Chloe and her savior. He released her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You okay? I don't think the hospitals here are going to be much good right now." The man was in his late twenties, strongly built with long blond hair. His blue eyes scanned her quickly. "Doesn't look like anything is broken. They attacked my car as I was coming from a meeting at Luthorcorp. Lionel and I left at nearly the same time." He looked around. "Have you seen Lionel?"

"He tried to help me, but when I got into the limo, the crowd attacked." Chloe gasped, looking around. "We should probably try to find him."

"We?" The older man smiled, cocking an eyebrow. "You just got pulled from a rampaging mob. Don't you think you should take a breather, or something?"

"I'll breathe better when I know that this is all over." Chloe answered tartly. "And once I know your name, so I can thank you."

"Oh, I'm Oliver Queen." He grinned, bowing. "At your service, my lady."

"Chloe Sullivan." She eyed him, running through her mental fact files. "Are you the Oliver Queen who is working with the Luthor Foundation on those literacy programs in underprivileged areas?"

"That's me." Oliver nodded. "Listen, sweetie, we'd better not waste too much time sharing the facts here. If Lionel is out there, he could be in serious trouble."

"You're right." Chloe looked around. "Let's go."

"Wait a minute." Oliver grabbed Chloe's arm. "You'd better stick with me, there, lady. I'm only one man."

Chloe looked down at Oliver's hand on her arm and then looked up at him, quizzically. "Look, I appreciate you helping me, Mr. Queen, but.."

Oliver chuckled, but did not let go of Chloe's arm. "Nothing doing, Chloe. You're sticking with me. We'll find Lionel together."

Lois opened her eyes, blinking. The cabin pressure had stabilized, and the plane was still in the air, but was lower, coming in for an approach. She checked Martha Kent, and found a pulse, so she got up and pulled down the oxygen mask, slipping it over Martha's face. Feeling her stomach turn, Lois closed her eyes, rode out the wave of nausea, and then headed for the cockpit door.

"Hey, in there." She yelled as she pounded on the door. "You nearly got us all killed. Want to put away the bong and land this thing?"

"You humans. So trite, so unaware of the bigger picture." Fine stood behind her, his voice cool and without inflection. "Being bait shouldn't be so hard."

"Look, I don't know who you are, or how you got onto this plane, but either you're going to help me, or stay out of my way." Lois said, balling her hands into fists. Adopting a defensive posture, Lois bounced lightly on the balls of her feet.

"Such trouble. And for nothing." Fine tipped his head, observing Lois. "No harm will come to you or his mother. Not yet."

"His mother? What does any of this have to do with Clark?" Lois asked, shock causing her to almost slip out of her defensive stance. "He's just a farmer's kid from Smallville, Kansas."

"Appearances can be deceiving, Ms. Lane." Fine reached across the space between them and tapped Lois on the temple, knocking her unconscious. "Just stay quiet, and enjoy the rest of the trip. We should be landing soon."

"What would cause you more pain?" Ursa's voice mocked Clark as she walked around him. "I could torture your body, but physical wounds heal." She stopped, leaning close against his side, her breasts pushing into his arm, her nails raking into his scalp like drops of acid. "And why spoil such a perfect specimen permanently? I may want you when Zod is busy.."

Clark felt her breath against his ear, cool and dry. "There really isn't anything you could do to me." He said, calm and defiant. "You can't affect people on Earth, either. You're just as helpless as I am."

"Oh, I think there might be something." Ursa purred, and she held out a glowing stone. "This jewel is from our mountains. With it, I can play with your mind as if it were nothing more than a lump of clay." She closed her hand around the stone, smiling. "Wouldn't you like to know what happened to your friends, the humans, back on Earth? I could show you…"

Clark gasped, and then collected himself. "I couldn't believe anything you would show me. It would all be lies."

"Lies? Oh, Kal-El." Ursa laughed. "Why would I lie, when the truth would be so much more painful for you? Your human pets, wounded, violated, shamed or better still, dead? Even I could not be so cruel as to hide that truth from you." She opened her hand again, and the stone was shining, bluer than anything Clark had ever seen. "Look into the stone, Kal-El. See for yourself. Then, when you've had enough, I'll make sure you see even more."

Not able to stop himself, Clark stared deeper into the stone, seeing the image of Chloe begin held down on a rioting street in Metropolis, his mother unconscious on a plane, Lionel being tied to the under carriage of an overturned car…and Lana, wrapped in the embrace of Zod. It was the image of Lana that snapped Clark into awareness again. These were illusions, there could be no real way to know if they were true, and Zod had banked too much on Clark's feelings for Lana and her feelings for him. They had given Clark a way out of this particular trap and now, with the knowledge that Chloe, Martha and Lionel were in danger, a renewed desire to get out of the Phantom Zone as fast as possible.

"You can't control me, Ursa." He groaned, fighting the effect of the jewel kryptonite. "This is all an illusion."

"You say?" Ursa asked, shocked. She tapped the little cuts on his cheek where her nails had dug into him moments before, making them sting again. "Not enough? Perhaps more?"

"You should take a look there yourself." Clark said, the pain bringing him more into the present. "Zod has replaced you. With a human."

"What!" Ursa snapped, looking into the blue crystal. "It cannot be!"

"But it is." Clark told her. "That's Lana. She is the girlfriend of the Vessel Zod chose. You have to know what is going on. Zod has no intention of freeing you or anyone else from this prison. You've been lied to."

"That makes two of us who might want to know, Clark." Lex's voice filled the void of the Phantom Zone with its wry tones. "After all, Lana has a way of making sure she's got the best deal, doesn't she? I should have seen that coming, I guess."

"Lex?" Clark looked around, and saw the ghostly image of his former friend hovering in the darkness of the Phantom Zone. "How much do you remember?"

"Enough to know that you didn't want to kill me, even though that would have stopped everything." Lex said, a smile turning one corner of his mouth upward. "Enough to know that your secret was worth protecting as well as you did. Enough to know that Lana has some, explaining, to do when I get back. " He chuckled. "And I am getting back."

"Fools." Ursa growled, throwing the crystal into the murky depths of the Phantom Zone. "There will be no place that is safe when Zod releases me from this prison!" She began to hurl herself at the walls of the Phantom Zone, cries of rage pouring out of her like liquid anger. "That human woman and all human women will pay for this indignity!"

"Clark…" Lex's voice was almost a figment of Clark's imagination, it was so low. "Get the hell out of here. Come on...there's got to be something, some way for you to get out of here, so I can get my body back."

"I'm going to have to find someone who knows more about the Phantom Zone." Clark replied. "You've been here longer, Lex, did you see anyone who might know?"

"A whole ten minutes longer, Clark." Lex's voice was full of amusement. "I'm good, but that's a little much even for me."

"Alright, let's go." Clark moved slowly away from Ursa, slipping into the darkness, Lex's vapor form following.

"Holy crap." Oliver Queen gasped, as he and Chloe made their way out of the alley and onto the main street. Downtown Metropolis was destroyed, broken plate glass and burning hulks of cars everywhere. "This is too much."

"Take the video games and computers away, and this is what happens." Chloe said, wryly, and Oliver snorted.

"I've seen people in third world countries give all of the nothing they had to help a neighbor with less, Chloe. I've watched hungry children go without so their younger siblings could get enough food to sleep the night. That's people, that's what happens. This is madness. What's going on over there?" Oliver pointed, and keeping a tight grip on Chloe's hand, made his way toward the group of people that had gathered around a car that was standing vertically on one end.

Lionel Luthor had been tied to the chassis of the car, beaten and bleeding. His head hung limply between his shoulders, and Chloe gasped, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes.

"Kill him, he's the devil!" One person shouted, holding a blazing torch in one hand. "It's probably some damned LuthorCorp experiment that did this!" The crowd murmured assent, and some moved toward Lionel, talking amongst themselves about how they would spill his blood. 'Yeah! He's the one who should be suffering!"

"Damnation." Oliver Queen spat, reaching into the duffel bag he carried and pulling out a large bow and an arrow tipped with what looked like a small bomb. "I'm glad I thought to come armed to Metropolis. Geez." He loaded the bow, and then looked at Chloe. "Stay behind me, short stuff, this is going to be loud and bright." Chloe ducked behind him, and Oliver let the arrow fly. Exploding over head, the arrow let out a piercing shriek, causing the crowd to flee. Chloe looked around, and seeing everyone had run, she darted out from behind Oliver and ran to Lionel. The sad fact was, that Lionel Luthor had seen better days. His eyes were closed and his breath was coming in fast pants, pain etched deeply on every feature of his face. Chloe's heart beat wildly, and she lunged forward, her hands pulling uselessly at Lionel's bonds.

"Lionel!" She cried, tearing at the ropes around his ankles. "Oh God!"

"Miss Sullivan." Lionel said weakly, a smile playing on his broken lips. "I have to say, you are quite the surprise."

"I had help." Chloe said her voice quavering, as Oliver Queen cut Lionel's restraints with a sharp knife, frowning. Lionel's eyes widened in surprise, and he sighed, relieved.

"Mr. Queen. Thank goodness. I had feared for you as well. I hope you won't let this affect your plans to help the underprivileged here in Metropolis."

"Slow down, Mr. Luthor." Oliver said gently. "We'd better get someplace safe before we find ourselves on the wrong side of that mob. My plane is at the municipal airfield. Can we get there from here?"

"The heliport is closer." Chloe replied, looking around "Is the Luthorcorp helicopter there?"

"If it hasn't been destroyed by the mob, yes." Lionel nodded. "We can definitely make it there."

Oliver Queen lifted Lionel up, holding the older man in his arms as if he weighed nothing. "Let's get there. I'll fly us the hell out of here so we can re-group."

Zod surveyed the burning, screaming cityscape before him, through the heavy plate glass window. The human woman slept at his side, weak and frail, but strong in her allegiance to the body Zod had claimed. She appealed to him, something in her very fragility that Zod found quite endearing. When Ursa came, Zod would give the human to her as a pet, a pet he would also find uses for. Meantime, the vision of this city burning, and other cities across this continent suffering the same fate made Zod content. It was not Kryptonian blood being spilled, but it was nearly as good. The world hand chosen by his former friend would serve as a surrogate for Krypton, bearing the punishment the destroyed world deserved. Banishing the thought of Jor-El, the image of him reinforced by the sight of Kal-El, a grown man, Zod found another image, one more unwelcome and twice as painful. Lara Lor-Van, before she became the wife of Jor-El. He looked at the frail human called Lana. She bore no resemblance at all to the glorious girl Zod had loved in his youth, but Kal-El had, his mother's selfless devotion to her friends shone through any physical resemblance to Jor-El, and Zod hated the boy all the more for it. Let Ursa have him in the Phantom Zone. Let all the criminals sent to Jor-El's creation take their blood revenge out on the boy forever. And then, maybe then, the ghost of Lara would be gone forever. Lana stirred, moaned "Lex" softly and drifted back to sleep. Zod ignored her, instead admiring the blood red sky with no trace of blue to be seen at all.

"NO!" Ursa's howls echoed through the darkness, and Clark moved as quickly as he could, feeling Lex's presence the whole time, never leaving his side. They had found no one to help them, none willing to even speak to Clark. A large, mute Kryptonian sat not to far from where Ursa had made her appearance, waiting. He barely acknowledged Clark's presence and sat attentively as Ursa railed against Zod. Soon, all they could hear of Ursa was her deep, rasping sobs of despair and rage.

"This is some place." Lex said, and Clark felt himself smile. "Really. I gotta hand it to you, Clark. Your people really know how to torture each other."

"Yeah, thanks, Lex." Clark stopped, and looked around. I'm not a criminal. I'm not guilty of anything. The Phantom Zone cannot hold me, Clark realized, reaching out, he touched the wall, releasing all the feelings of guilt and frustration he had in him. His hand passed through the wall. "Lex. I think I figured out how to get out of here. I have to get you out too."

"Clark, send that body snatching creep back here, and I think I'll be able to get back on my own." Lex said simply. "I'm pretty sure I could find my way back."

"Find something to carry you in…" Clark looked around.

"No, Clark. Listen." Lex's voice was very calm. "I can't go back until my body is, heh, vacated. You have to stop Zod. Go." Clark looked over at Lex's vapor form and he was smiling. "And, Clark? Tell Lana I said hi."

Clark nodded, and pushed his hand through the wall of the Phantom Zone, and then his head and shoulders. Soon his whole body was freed, and willing himself to fly, Clark soared back toward Earth, leaving Lex behind.

It was time for Zod to answer for everything, and Clark was the man for the job.


	2. Episode VS 2 Eclipse

Eclipse

Chloe ran to keep up with Queen's long strides. Nearly as tall as Clark, but older, closer to Lex's age maybe, Chloe found herself mildly intrigued with this Good Samaritan whose reputation was as infamous as Lionel Luthors was, if for different reasons. What she knew about Oliver Queen wouldn't fill a classified ad, but Chloe figured the young tycoon's politics had gotten him more heat than most men could stand. Now, Oliver Queen strode through the ruined streets of Metropolis, carrying Lionel Luthor and barely breaking a sweat. Occasionally, he'd look behind him to make sure Chloe was keeping pace.

The heliport appeared before them, and Chloe felt in her bones that it wasn't going to be that simple, just crossing the street and getting to the helicopter. Apparently, neither did Oliver, setting Lionel down gently and reached up to unzip the oblong black bag on his shoulder.

"Stay near me, Chloe. Hold on to Lionel as best as you can. If I tell you to run, do it." Oliver said quietly, eyeing the alcoved doorways of the riverfront condos and office buildings. Chloe couldn't see anything, but Oliver did, because he moved to obscure Chloe and Lionel from view very quickly.

"Hey, pretty boy." A rough looking group of men slithered from the doorways. "You look like you're in a hurry. All business in that fancy dark suit. Things have changed here in Metropolis. The have nots are in control, and guys like you are just ripe for the picking."

"Now, see, this is where I have to ask you." Oliver Queen pulled out a long powerful looking bow and with it an arrow tipped with what looked like a grappling hook. "Do you really want to play games with me? I'm 1,500 miles from home in a strange city. How about some of that famous Metropolis hospitality?" He loaded the bow with the arrow, and whispered to Chloe. "When I let this go, run like hell. Drag Luthor if you have to, but get out of here."

Chloe nodded, eyes wide, and Lionel looked up weakly, taking in their situation without a sound. The group of men across from them grumbled amongst themselves, but one, obviously their leader, wiped his nose on his hand, then swaggered closer.

"What are you going to do, trust fund? Shoot us with that thing?" The leader of the group sneered, and Oliver drew the arrow back, aiming carefully, saying nothing.

"GO." Oliver bellowed, letting the arrow fly. Chloe ran, grasping Lionel's hand tightly. The older Luthor also ran, faster than Chloe would have thought. She heard the arrow hiss through the air, a whooshing, swooping sound followed by a thick cry of pain. Chloe did not dare turn until they crossed the street. Gasping, Chloe turned, to see the odd arrow release a thin wire cord and swoop around the group of men, returning to Oliver's hand, like a boomerang. The rest of the wire rope was looped in his hand, and Oliver pulled the lasso together, baling the would be attackers together as if they were no more than large logs for firewood. Tossing the grappling hook, Oliver looped it around a light post and finished securing the four men tightly. The leader was lying on the floor, holding his groin, Oliver's long bow beside him on the ground. Oliver stooped to pick up his bow, and looked into the man's face.

"Next time, when you have a choice, between being hospitable or being hostile, I hope you'll know what to do." Oliver instructed, sliding the bow back into his bag. "I'd hate to have to remind you." He straightened, and walked quickly to Chloe and Lionel.

"Hey, Goldilocks, when I tell you to run like hell, that doesn't mean stand across the street and stare at me." Oliver snapped, taking Lionel's arm. "I bought us a few minutes." He helped Lionel to the helicopter with a gentleness that belied his obviously angered state. Lionel's steps were labored, but he kept up, leading Oliver to the helicopter, which was mercifully unharmed.

"First, don't call me Goldilocks." Chloe retorted, hurrying to keep up with Queen's long strides, "Second, where did you learn to shoot like that? And where did you get those arrows?"

"That's three questions. Save the other seventeen for the flight to where ever it is we're going." Oliver lifted Lionel into the helicopter, and then swung himself into the pilot's seat. "Where ARE we going?"

"Smallville." Chloe replied, hopping into the seat beside Queen. "I have to find someone."

Lana woke up; her back hurting from sleeping slumped over a conference room table. Rising from her chair, she stretched taking slow steps to the plate glass window to look out. Before her lay a city in turmoil - fires and smoke everywhere. Lana rubbed her eyes, confusion drifting over her face where sleep had been just moments before. It all seemed like a bad dream, Lana thought as she turned away from the window, hands to her mouth. Lex was sitting in a large chair silently watching her. His face was smooth, expressionless, and the chill that ran up Lana's spine warned her against smiling at him.

"Lex?" She said tentatively, taking a step in his direction and then stopping. "Are you okay?"

Lex tipped his head, his grey eyes glinting like freshly polished steel. "Why do you ask me that?"

"You don't seem like yourself." Lana offered, as he rose from the chair, the long leather trenchcoat he wore unfurling itself behind him like large wings. "With all this going on outside, for you to be just, sitting there…."

"I'm thinking of when," a small pause, "Clark," he resumed again after a brief smirk dented the corners of his mouth, "confronts you. What will you do? What will you say to him when he stands before you and asks how you could stay with the monster that created all of this?" Lex asked, his voice even and flat. He had moved to the window, close to her. Lana could feel him breathing, even with the short distance between them. The scent of the leather coat and his cologne made Lana feel safe, in spite of her instincts, which hummed mercilessly in warning.

"You?" Lana's eyes narrowed. "You didn't create this!" Her voice grew thin with shock.

"It's impossible!"

Lex nodded. "That is what you would say? In my defense?"

"Of course. One man could not have brought this kind of disaster down on Metropolis alone." Lana turned toward him and grabbed his hand. "Why would you think that?"

When he turned to look down into her face, Lana suddenly realized that she wasn't speaking to Lex at all. A cruel, cold smile played on the mouth that she had grown to crave, and a sharp, evil expression crept onto his usually mild face. "Because, I AM responsible for every tear being shed on this whole planet right now. Every drop of blood, every scream of pain that breaks the air, every moan of despair belongs to me." His hand caught hers, icy cold and as vicious as a bear trap. "You are the jewel in my crown of torment, my dear. The perfect gem of torture that will bring everything I desire into my grasp."

"LEX!" Lana tried to pull her hand free, but Lex would not let go. She could feel the small capillaries in her hand pop, sensing the instant, dark bruise that welled up on her smooth hand. "You're not well…you've been strained….angry with Clark…" Lana winced from the pain, but Lex did not let go, but increased the pressure of his grip, threatening to break the delicate bones of her hand.

He shook his head. "That is what I find most compelling about you, young one. You never cease to be devoted. Always seeking an excuse. My anger with," again, a pause, before he continued, amused, "Clark Kent is only part of what my plans are. It fuels my drive, but not the reason for it." He looked down at her hand, admiring the black bruising under her skin. "How little you truly understand about what is at work around you."

"I want to know…"Lana gasped, and his face once again became devoid of expression, just the cold glare of his grey eyes, spearing her. "If I can help you…."

"My dear one." He reached up to touch Lana's face, with no absolutely tenderness at all. His skin on her cheek sent waves of frostbite through her. "To know and understand what really goes on around you? The feelings, motivations and pain of all those you claim to hold dear?" He appraised Lana coolly. "You are not strong enough for such knowledge. It would break you to pieces. Your fears keep you bound to me. " He turned away from Lana, dismissing her, disdain dripping from every word. "But I will make sure you know all you need to know. That time is not yet."

Lana looked around helplessly, her heart beating against her ribs as if trying to run away. And she realized, rubbing her sore hand, that there was no going back anymore. Lex had tried to warn her, and now it was too late. For good or bad, Lana was in too deep. Suddenly, the conference room they were standing in felt very much like a tomb.

Martha Kent sat up, her hands going to the oxygen mask on her face. The plane had landed. She saw Lois, lying on the floor near the cockpit doors, and Martha gasped, tearing the mask off. Crawling on all fours, she reached Lois and gathered the girl into her lap.

"Lois!" Martha cried out, noting with some relief that Lois was still breathing. "Wake up!"

"She will not wake for quite some time." Martha looked up at the sound of the voice. Clark's former History professor stood before her, a slender figure all in black, looking down on her impassively. "It's just you and I for the moment. You can speak freely, she will not hear you."

"Professor Fine? Where have you taken us? What do you want?" Martha asked, putting her arms around Lois protectively. "People are going to notice that we're missing, eventually. You won't get away with this."

"You, Mrs. Kent, are leverage." Fine replied simply. "You are a pawn in my master's ultimate design but with an important role yet to play. Right now, your world is falling apart, literally. No one will notice you are missing for now. "

"Your master?" Martha repeated quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Martha Kent. Surely Kal-El has not kept you in the dark about the coming of Zod?" Fine knelt down, getting to Martha's level, and shook his head sympathetically. "A very serious oversight. General Zod, the great conqueror, has arrived here on your planet, and currently lays waste to every major city of the world. Kal-El has been sent to the Phantom Zone, but it will not hold him long. When Kal-El returns, He will be given a choice, and if he chooses correctly, you and this girl will live."

"Clark will not do anything he knows is wrong, just to save me." Martha squared her shoulders and glared defiantly at Fine. "You cannot make him do what you want."

"Mrs. Kent, do you remember that illness you had last year?" Fine's eyes traced the places on Martha's face and neck where the black, spidery blotches had appeared, and Martha raised a hand to her face instinctively, self-consciously. "You do. Remember the pain, the anguish of it? That is how you will die if he does not do as my master wants. And in watching you die, and this girl die, Kal-El will be broken. All those whom Kal-El calls friend will dies that same terrible, painful death until he agrees. To save the lives of all those people, Mrs. Kent, you are the bait. And it will be you who convinces Kal-El to join my master."

"Clark won't put the rest of the world at risk to save me." Martha replied. "And there is nothing you can do to make me go along with this."

"There is actually much I could do." Fine said, his voice calmly malevolent. "I have spent these many months learning all the various ways your kind torments itself. Plus, I have at my disposal methods of torture that have never been seen on your planet. But, you are too valuable for me to damage." Fine's appearance changed. Martha gasped in horror as her own face formed where Fine's once had been and smiled at her coldly. "So, I will be waiting for Kal-El in your place."

Lex had watched Clark disappear through the walls of the Phantom Zone in horror at first, and then, unreasonably, a bloom of pride swelled within him. It was far from anything Lex could consider, being here like this. Certainly nothing in his dealings with Fine had led Lex to the conclusion that this endless, blank space would be then of all things. But, Lex now had access to vast amounts of information, about Clark's origins, and the nature of the universe outside the small galaxy that Earth was part of. Not having a body had its advantages, Lex thought, drifting through the void, past alien criminals of every variety. Even if they were sitting less than five feet apart, most were caught up in their own thoughts, oblivious to the being beside them. Which made them completely unaware of Lex's presence as he lurked among them. Lex studied the prisoners carefully, listening to their muttered dreams as they slept. Their own crimes held them here just as surely as any prison on Earth could keep murderers and felons away from the general population of the world. It was ingenious. Soon enough, Lex found the person he was looking for. Ursa sat, her head buried in her hands, with her back against the wall of the Zone. Sensing his presence, Ursa looked up, and sniffed the air.

"You cannot hide from me, primate." Ursa spat, her eyes seeming to glow in the gloom around her. "Even without your shell I can still sense you, squirming around like insect larvae. What do you want?"

"To pass the time." Lex said, using his most charming manner. "To hear all about Krypton, Zod and Jor-El."

"Go away." Ursa waved her hand, as if shooing a fly. "Leave me in peace." She dropped her head back down onto her forearms.

"We both have a great deal in common." Lex continued, maneuvering the conversations as carefully as any business negotiation. "Zod took my body and my girlfriend." Ursa looked up again, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Seems to me he took something from you too. Why don't we see what we can do to come to some understanding, between us? For when we get out of here." Lex smiled, unsure of Ursa could see it. Apparently, she could, because a similar smile ran across her porcelain mask of a face in reply.

"I'm intrigued, primate. What about the son of Jor-El? He is your friend. Would you betray him by allying with me?" Ursa raised one eyebrow skeptically. "He seemed to be determined to free you at the same time he escaped."

"Clark and I have an understanding." Lex replied, inwardly laughing at all the times he and Clark had worked against each other in the name of their friendship. This was just one more of those times.

Space was cold. Bitterly cold. Clark squinted against the white brightness of the Earth and wondered how cold it was, exactly. But the air in Clark's lungs had crystallized, making any breath he was able to take send shock waves of ice through his body. It was almost funny, Clark thought, could barely feel temperature change anymore was freezing his butt off as he shot toward Earth and away from the place where Zod had hoped to trap him. Resisting the urge to look back, Clark pushed forward, almost afraid that in looking back, he would see Lex staring out from the flat panes of the Phantom Zone. The speed of his flight froze him, stung his face, but Clark willed himself on, increasing his velocity. The green and blue curve of the Earth invited him to come home. Clark closed his mind to any other thoughts except making sure he survived this flight. And this first flight was more than diving from the high board at the Smallville High pool, too. That was scary. This was more than frightening, more than terrifying. Clark could not think of words to describe how horrible this experience was for him. His fear of flying washed over him in a nauseating flood. Distracted, he wavered; nearly losing his carefully maintained trajectory. In his mind's eye, Clark could see the hallucinations Ursa had tried to torment him with, his mother unconscious, possibly dead. Chloe being attacked by a mob, Lionel being tortured. The images were almost too much to bear, but they did for Clark what no other incentive could have.

There was no time for feeling sick and light headed, he told himself, balling his fists and pushing himself faster. Chloe might be right, and he may not be able to save everyone. But Clark was damn sure going to try, or die in the process. Puncturing the atmosphere, Clark gained an immediate acquaintance with the spectrum of color and pain associated with the word hot. Oxygen that had crystallized in his lungs expanded instantly, causing Clark's ribs and chest to throb mercilessly. The thin material of his jacket and shirt burned away, his skin reddening, his jeans taking more abuse, darkening along the seams before he could slow down at about 50,000 feet above sea level. None of this mattered, of course, and as Clark descended toward Earth, feeling the cooling winds soothe him. Clark allowed himself to hover; half believing it was possible, straining his ears to find some sign of his mother, of Chloe. He could see the clouds of black smoke interspersed across the continents. The idea that Fine's virus was causing worldwide panic and disaster made Clark feel physically ill again. Before he could think anymore, Clark turned toward North America and home.


	3. Episode VS 3 Resistance

Resistance

"Mom!" Clark called, coming into the silent house. Power was still out, and even the generator Jonathan Kent had installed some years ago had not kicked on. "Mom!" His skin was sore and his muscles ached, but worse still, Clark felt a horrible fear that something was terribly wrong.

"Here, honey.." He heard his mother's voice, faint and weak sounding coming from the couch. Moving into the living room, Clark, already fatigued and worn from his flight from the Phantom Zone, struggled to keep his composure when he saw his mother. She was covered with the black, venomous lesions she had when that Kryptonian virus had attacked her last year. "Oh, Clark…."

"What happened?" Clark knelt beside the couch, and Martha raised a hand to touch his face.

"I was getting ready to leave for that educational summit in Washington, and I felt sick. I made Lois bring me home, and I've been here ever since. Oh, Clark, it hurts…" She moaned, and Clark brushed the hair from her forehead.

"I have to try and help you, Mom. I can't leave you like this." Clark said, and Martha gritted her teeth against the wave of pain that wracked her. "But I can't stay either."

"I know." Martha gasped, clinging to Clark's hand. "Professor Fine was here, Clark, an hour ago. He said you'd know where to find him. He said all of humanity would suffer like I am if you didn't do what he said…" Her eyes rolled back in her head. "Get the kryptonite, Son…it's the only thing that helps."

"Right.." Clark stood, and without thinking went to the closet where his parents had always kept a chunk of Kryptonite in a lead box. His hand met the doorknob, when suddenly Clark remembered the last time his mother had suffered from this she had been reluctant to use the Kryptonite, because of it's effect on him. Turning, Clark looked back at his mother's form on the couch, apparently in desperate pain. He opened the closet, held it open for a moment and then closed it again. "Not here. Did you move it?"

"Oh, honey, it HAS to be there." Martha said, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "I'm desperate, Clark!"

"I'll bet you are." Clark snapped, jumping over the couch. "Did you think you could fool me again, Fine?"

"Martha" sat up, the blemishes on her face fading. "Very good, Kal-El." Slowly, Fine appeared, melting out of Martha Kent's face and body. He rose from the couch, brushing himself off.

"Much faster than when I took on the form of your dearly departed Jonathan Kent." Fine nodded. "My master wasn't quite expecting you back this quickly. Those committed to the Phantom Zone generally stay there for a much longer time."

"Yeah, well, there was a loophole in my prison sentence." Clark replied. "I wasn't actually guilty of anything. Except for being too easy for you to predict."

"The whole clan of El has been easy to predict. From your father, who warned against my potential and was laughed at, to you, championing a planet of lesser beings. Comically tragic, the nobility and righteousness of the House of El. However, my master has a proposition for you, Kal-El. One I think you should seriously consider." Fine eyed Clark critically. "You should first make yourself ready to be in his presence, Kal-El. It is important to the safety of Martha Kent and the rest of this mudball you call home that you do come. You can find my master in the LuthorCorp building. " Fine bowed and then sped away, a white flash of light.

"Well," Oliver Queen said into his headset mic, "There's Smallville."

'I've never been so glad to see it in my whole life." Chloe sighed, looking back at Lionel Luthor, who had fallen asleep after the helicopter took off. "I don't think Lionel is doing well, Oliver."

"I'm thinking a trip to Podunk General isn't going to be much help if they're without power." Oliver replied. "We'll get him home first and then see what we can do there. Who did you have to come here to find?"

Chloe was looking out, searching for landmarks. "Turn right, Oliver. We need to get to the Kent farm first."

"Farm? What are you going to do, check on pork futures first hand? Chloe, Lionel Luthor needs some serious down time. Gallivanting all over the county really shouldn't be on his to do list." Queen turned the helicopter to the right, and soon enough Chloe could see the Kent barn. The big gaping holes in the barn roof did nothing to ease Chloe's mind about what she would find when she got there, and silently she prayed that Clark would be alright. "Bring it down here!" Chloe called out urgently, and then, seeing Clark come out into the front yard, began to wave frantically, her heart pounding.

"Chloe." Clark looked up, and seeing her face in the helicopter, remembered the kiss they had parted with. Their relationship had always been the example of what bad timing was all about, but this time, if the world was coming to an end, Clark wanted Chloe at his side. The helicopter touched down, and Chloe bounded out, hurling herself into his arms, nearly knocking Clark over.

"Clark!" She reached up and kissed him deeply,hungry with relief. "I saw the barn and I didn't know what to think!"

"Chloe." He touched her face gently almost not sure whether to believe it was truly Chloe. "It is really you, isn't it? Are you okay? I was trapped in the Phantom Zone, just got free…" Clark broke off, seeing the tall man who had piloted the helicopter getting out and then reaching in to pull Lionel Luthor from the back seat. "Who is that?"

"That is the man who rescued me." Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "Oliver Queen, full time tycoon, part time do-gooder. "

"Oh, really?" Clark asked, smiling. "Are you making a collection of do-gooders?"

"Yeah, right." Chloe grinned back. "I don't know what would have happened to me or Lionel if he hadn't shown up, Clark. The mob had Lionel tied to a car and well, I'd rather not think about what could have happened to me. Metropolis is falling apart, and…." She stopped, hearing Oliver's footsteps in the grass behind her.

Oliver walked toward them, carrying Lionel. "Before we get caught up in the pleasantries, I need a place to set Luthor down. He's pretty badly traumatized."

"In the house." Clark said, turning to lead the way inside. Oliver looked over at Chloe and noting her completely distracted expression, shook his head. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where Chloe's interests lie. The broad, bare back of the farmer held her interest like nothing else had since Oliver had met her. I wonder if he feels the same, Oliver thought, as Clark led them to what had to be his own room. The younger man motioned to the bed, and gave Lionel a curious glance, as if he wasn't sure what he was seeing.

"Put him here." Clark instructed, turning around to rifle through a drawer. He pulled out a red t-shirt and put it on. Clark emerged from the neck of the t-shirt, and locked eyes with Chloe, who blushed slightly and looked away. Snorting, Oliver walked past them and put Lionel down on the bed. With a eloquent look at Chloe, Oliver left the room.

"I'll be downstairs, if anyone is interested, you know, stranger in town, don't know anyone..." He gave Chloe a gentle tap on the shoulder, but she barely registered it.

"Okay, Oliver…" Chloe said, her eyes on Clark.

For a moment, they stared at each other, and then began to speak at the same time.

"Clark, before you…,"

"Chloe, I…." Both grinning, Clark nodded. "Go ahead, Chlo', you go first."

"About the whole Daily Planet thing," Chloe began, "And before, I was just so glad to see you. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. About my expectations, I mean. I know you are still not over Lana, and the world is still crumbling down around us, so, desperation makes people do strange things, right?" Chloe closed her eyes and shook her head. "As far as I can see, nothing between us has to change. Still friends."

"Oh." Clark blinked, surprised. "Okay, Chloe. If that's what you want." He reached out and took her hand. "I'm really glad you're okay." He turned to look over at Lionel, who was stirring.

"Clark.." Lionel opened his eyes, and struggled to get up. "Son, you need to get up to the Fortress. It needs to be purified before you can use it's power to defeat Zod."

"Zod has my mother." Clark informed Lionel. "I can't let him hurt her."

"You have to worry about the whole world." Lionel rejoined gently. "Your mother would not want you to save her at such a cost."

"Clark, Lionel is right." Chloe put her hand on Clark's arm. "The good news is, we're all together now, and we can help."

"I can't let anything happen to any of you. It's too risky." Clark began, looking from Chloe to Lionel. There was the sound of a throat being cleared behind them, and Clark turned, to see Chloe's friend standing in the doorway, casually drinking a glass of water.

"If I get a vote," Oliver spoke from the doorway, after swallowing his water. "And I do, since I'm in this up to my neck now, whatever is causing this problem may be too big for some farmer to handle alone, no offense. You're going to need all the help you can get. I'm in."

Clark shook his head. "Listen, Oliver, I appreciate everything you've done so far, but this is something I have to handle alone."

"No, you listen, kid." Queen walked into the room and came face to face with Clark. "I'm kinda sketchy on the details, but it seems to me that you aren't really in a position to tell me no. Besides, I can't go home until the airways are cleared. I'm stuck here for the duration." He smiled over at Chloe and winked. "Aren't you glad, Goldielocks?"

"Thrilled." Chloe snarked, but Clark felt his heart sink just a little. The smile shared between Chloe and Oliver Queen sent up sparks that would have been visible even from the Phantom Zone.

Zod stood over the bed where Lana Lang slept, worn out from her heartbroken sobs of grief. The human had shown amazing loyalty and devotion, and Zod found himself wondering about her appropriateness as bait for Kal-El. Promising him the love and slavish adoration of this broken, grief stricken creature barely seemed worth the effort. Again, Zod considered keeping her as a pet, for Ursa to use or abuse, at her will. Perhaps, in time, once Kal-El had freed himself from the Phantom Zone, this girl would have spent some of her misery.

"My lord." Brain-IAC's voice was hushed and reverential. "I bring news."

"Speak." Zod moved away from the bed, any further consideration of the sleeping human was forgotten.

"It is about Kal-El, my lord." Brain-IAC began, emotionless. "He has freed himself from the Phantom Zone, and is now in that small village he was raised in."

"He escaped? So soon?" Zod nodded. "He IS his father's son." Approval crept into Zod's voice. That would make the revenge more satisfying.

"Did you doubt that, my lord?" The artificial intelligence seemed to sneer. "The clan of El has always been resourceful."

"Indeed." Zod considered this. "He will be planning his next move. Where is the human he calls mother?"

"Safe, my lord, along with another human female that is significant to him. She dwelled with his family as a foster sister. Such a bond will not go ignored by Kal-El." Brain-IAC paused. "The Oracle still is at large, my lord. It's presence is very dangerous to your cause."

"It is faulty. It's host was not prepared properly." Zod waved a hand . "That body will continue to weaken, and eventually die."

"But, Lord, the Oracle can give Kal-El the means to defeat you." Brain-IAC protested. "The Oracle is the key to regaining control of the console."

"Let it." Zod's face filled with wrath, and Brain-IAC dropped his eyes. "All of the Council could not defeat me on Krypton without stripping me of my body. On Krypton, I was a man, fallable and weak. On this planet, I am more than I was on Krypton. I am a god. I am not worried about Kal-El regaining the console. As a matter of fact, it is my wish that he does. The more powerful he becomes before he faces me, the more satisfying it will be to destroy him."

Lois opened her eyes. Her head was pillowed on Martha Kent's legs, and they were still on the plane. She raised a hand to her face, a tight bud of pain blooming behind her eye.

"Lois, honey, don't try and move a whole lot." Martha said gently. "You took a pretty nasty hit on the head."

"Yeah, that bastard." Lois growled, sitting up. "I swear, it felt like a tap at the time, but now I could swear I got hit with a sledge hammer." She tenderly touched the large, dark bruise on the side of her face. "It's swollen, right?"

Martha looked at it. "Oh, Lois!" Martha got to her feet. "I'll see if there is any ice in the galley. You poor thing."

"I wish I could say 'you should have seen the other guy' but," Lois looked around the cabin. "Where IS the other guy?"

"I don't know." Martha's voice came back to Lois from the galley. "He comes and goes."

"Where are we?" Lois stood uneasily and shuffled over to one of the windows. "You said he comes and goes?"

"Yes." Lois could hear Martha working with the ice. "Why?"

"Because unless he had a sled dogs and a supply of blubber, he can't have gone far." Wind slammed against the window, and Lois jumped back startled. Beyond the window lay an icy wasteland, with no visible signs of life. "Unless we start seeing elves, I'd better get the radio going.."

"Put this on your face." It was a man's voice, and Lois turned, startled. Their captor stood just behind her, holding a makeshift ice bag. "And unfortunately, the radio is malfunctioning."

"Where is Mrs. Kent?" Lois asked, reaching for one of the seats closest to the window, trying to get her balance.

"She is safe." Fine held out the icebag. "It will not do for you to have any blemishes. My master would never forgive me."

"Your master?" Lois took the icebag slowly. "Okay, buddy. I don't care if you answer to a dog whistle and drink out of the toilet. I want to know where Martha Kent is."

"Waiting for her son to come, of course." Fine answered reasonably. "That's all."

"She was here just a minute ago..." Lois began, and bringing the icebag to her head, she flopped down into the leather seat. "I'm hallucinating or something."

Fine looked down at Lois, his face stony. "If all goes according to plan, you will be reunited with Martha Kent soon enough."

It was a little scientist convicted for illegal genetic experimentation that told Lex how Zod had managed to escape from the Phantom Zone. He also let drop several of his key findings and Lex smilingly listened, making mental notes, banking on the day he got out of this void. Ursa had not really been much help. Her anger at Zod clouded any ability she may have had to see the bigger picture. It didn't really matter, of course, Lex thought, as he drifted past the convicts. Being physically insubstantial had it's high points. All the same, Lex had planted the seeds of his resistance movement, and now just had to wait for them to come to bear. Looking out through the transparent wall, Earth loomed, glowing blue and green against the blackness of the universe around it.

"It's all very Zen." Lex said to no one. "Very enlightening."

"That was the point." Lex heard the voice and then out of the gloom it's owner materialized. A spirit being, like Lex. In a physical body, this man must have stood well over six feet tall, and something about his face was very familiar. "There have been very few of your kind who could truly understand." The spirit smiled gently, wisely, and Lex recognized the resemblance, so much so he could not believe it had not been apparent immediately.

"You're his father." Lex whispered, shocked. "You're Jor-El."

"I am an imprint of Jor-El." The spirit being replied. "For your purposes, however, it is the same."

"But you're dead. That much I know. I've learned alot here." Lex suddenly felt very small, a child caught playing with things forbidden. "I know Clark's secret."

"Indeed." Jor-El nodded. "But at what cost? You have given yourself over to the worst kind of slavery for it. And now, what good will it do you?"

"I've heard this before." Lex laughed. "Do they hand out a book to all new fathers with these platitudes? Even an advanced race can't get past 'you sold your soul.' Somehow, I find that oddly comforting."

"You speak of your father." Jor-El drifted closer, ignoring Lex's mocking comments. "I can see into his thoughts. Lionel Luthor is allied with my son to defeat Zod. But concern for you is there, Alexander. It is as much a part of your father's soul as his own will to survive."

"Yeah, sure." Lex rolled his eyes. "You don't know Lionel Luthor very well."

"I know him well enough." Jor-El replied. "The purpose of my imprint here is to help the convicts be rehabilitated. Past circumstances allowed your father and I to spend much time together. The Phantom Zone was never meant to be permanent. Except for one prisoner."

"And he's out on the town." Lex said. "So, you're the equivalent of extra terrestrial therapy. Where's the couch?"

"Your arrogance is unwelcome." Jor-El flared, and Lex was stricken again by the resemblance between Clark and even this pale replica of Jor-El. "If you were not here in spirit, Kal-El could have saved you when he escaped. You will not be judged by me. And, until now, your crimes have served only to harm yourself." Jor-El frowned. "Curious."

"So, now what?' Lex asked, looking over at Clark's biological father. "What do we do now?"

The smile that appeared on Jor-El's insubstantial face was not like Clark's at all. It was world weary and wise where Clark's still possessed the brightness of innocence and faith. "We wait, Alexander. And just as your father guides my son, so shall I guide you."


	4. Episode VS 4 Requital

Requital

Evening had come to the Kent Farm. Oliver walked across the yard, marveling at the difference in Kansas from Washington State, the flatness of it, and how big the sky seemed. In a way, Kansas reminded him a little of the plains of Montana. All of the misery on the news had not touched this pastoral little place, Oliver thought, until he got into the barn. The large holes in the roof were glaringly obvious from here, and again, Oliver felt a wave of sympathy for Clark Kent.

"Hey, Kent, you in here?" Oliver looked around. All the stock had been tended, the cows milked and the horses fed. He hadn't been out here that long, Oliver thought, stroking the neck of one particularly handsome cow. How could one kid do the work of four men in less than an hour? There was a whooshing sound, and Oliver turned quickly, wishing he had his bow.

"Oliver." Clark appeared from literally out nowhere, and he seemed surprised. "What are you doing out here?" Both men forced themselves to ease out of their defensive postures, and Oliver gestured broadly to the barn around him.

"Thought you could use an extra pair of hands. I do a bit of farming myself, in Montana. But, I can see you got it all covered. Want to get some tarps up on that roof before it gets too much darker?" Queen went to move toward the neatly stacked piles of canvas tarp. "I like to do stuff with my hands. Helps me think."

"I'll get it." Clark said curtly and not at all gratefully, and Oliver dropped the top canvas. "Thanks for the offer."

"Hey, kid." Oliver sat down on the tarps. "Can't shut me out. I'm here. The way I see it, you can tell me what's going on and how you are involved, or, I can find out on my own. Either way, you're stuck with me for the duration. But you telling me will just make things friendlier between us."

Clark slid his hands in his pockets and shook his head, smiling cautiously. "You can start by not calling me kid."

"Fair enough." Oliver nodded. "Now, what's the deal? Who'd kidnap your mom and why?"

"He's not from this planet." Lionel's voice carried from the open barn door. "Clark is from a now lost planet called Krypton."

Oliver looked at Lionel dubiously, and then over at Clark. "Seriously?"

"Um, yeah." Clark nodded. "The problem is being caused by a Kryptonian general who was condemned by my father before our planet was destroyed. He's taken my mother and Chloe's cousin as hostages."

"Okay." Oliver stood, and folded his arms behind his back. "This is all ET stuff."

"Without the cute plant loving alien, yes." Lionel walked toward them. "This is a great deal of information for you to take in, Mr. Queen. But your help will be essential to defeating Zod."

"How?" Clark and Oliver asked at once, one curious, the other defensive.

"Zod has seriously underestimated the abilities and strengths of humanity, Kal-El." Lionel answered. "Mr. Queen is quite talented and very creative. I'm sure he will be able to offer you some valuable insight with this quest."

Oliver and Clark looked at each other for a long moment. Silently, they both turned back to Lionel. Putting a trembling hand into his pocket, Lionel withdrew a stone inscribed with Kryptonian symbols that was all too familiar to Clark. "I think this will also be very useful, Kal-El."

"How did you get that?" Clark asked, and Lionel smiled, and Clark had a brief glimpse of the old, cagey Luthor he had always feared growing up.

"I am not without resources, Clark." A glint in his eye, Lionel pocketed the stone, and looked at Oliver again. "And you, Mr. Queen, are you in?"

"What's the game plan, Coach?" Oliver asked, reaching out to punch Clark lightly on the shoulder. The three men smiled, and began to plan their counter move against Zod.

Lana stayed stone still, in near silence, listening to Zod and his disciple, Brain-IAC make their plans for someone named Kal-El. She didn't know who Kal-El was, but she felt desperately sorry for him. Only catching bits and pieces of the conversation, Lana was able to glean the fact that Kal-El was an alien, and unlike the body hijacking Zod, was in his full physical form. In which case, they deserved what they would get. She pushed her hair from her face, pulling the length over her shoulder and braiding it lightly. All that mattered was somehow getting Lex back. Lex. Hot tears poured from her closed eyes, as she thought of his face when he'd returned to her after being abducted. He'd looked stunned, scared but oddly triumphant. Oh, God. She opened her eyes and looked over at where Zod stood, talking to that thing that followed him. Lex, Lex. Lana wailed inwardly. What have you done? Feeling like she'd failed him by not being enough – enough of an incentive to stay out of trouble, to protect her from her worst fears, Lana slid out of the bed quietly, hoping to avoid Zod. She had not gotten two steps when he turned, and pierced her with the sharp steel of his eyes.

"Arisen, my dear?" His voice was cruel parody of Lex at his most civil. "Will you join us?" His voice echoed in the tomblike silence of the Luthor Towers Penthouse.

Lana shuffled over to Zod, pushing her hair over her shoulder to spill unbound again down her back. Lifting her head proudly, she straightened her spine until her petite form was as tall as she could appear. Zod curved Lex's mouth into what could be called a smile, and he held out a hand to her. Brain-IAC started to speak, and Zod silenced him with a wave, his eyes not leaving Lana.

"Ah, a Queen of your people, no doubt." He said, mocking her show of bravery. "A brave Warrior-Princess." Lana noted the books discarded around the room, and sighed. Zod had, literally, been doing his homework. "Pretend whatever you like, my pet. In the end you are simply bait, or a prize. It is your choice which you will end up."

"My choice? I have one?" Lana asked, the illusion of pride gone. She felt elated, hopeful, even in this miserable place.

"Indeed. As does every sentient being in the universe, my pet." Zod tipped her chin up to look into her eyes. "To die bravely and bring honor to your race, or hide away, a coward, selling all your honor for another bitter day of life." Wisdom imparted, Zod looked away, dropping his hand from her face.

Lana hung her head. "I don't know what you mean."

"No, you would not. Pampered, spoiled things, the women of your race." Zod waved at the dark city before them. His favored place was to be seated at this window, reading whatever fell to hand and eating gargantuan amounts of whatever Brain-IAC brought him. "On Krypton, you would have had purpose, drive. You might have been a great poet, an artist, or an astronaut."

"Why did you destroy it? If Krypton was so perfect?" Lana spat, raising her head to glare at her captor. "I don't know all the details, but you must have. The whole planet could not have been like you."

Brain-IAC hissed, and Zod simply laughed. "Ah. Spirit. How charming. It is true, I helped facilitate the destruction of my home world." He looked back out at Metropolis. "So corrupted by softness and mercy that it could not survive."

Lana shook her head. "What did you promise Lex? What did you offer him? Why did he let you take over his body and do this?"

Zod sat back, and eyed her with the complacent eye of an at ease tyrant. "Ah, back to the Vessel. I promised him trivialities. I promised him power."

"He had that." Lana countered and Zod nodded. The child did have a steel spine after all.

"The tragedy for him is that he did not realize that, my dear. I promised him something he always wanted. It is something you want, my dear. I could see it in your eyes when you recognized me. I could offer it to you, at a much less, extreme cost." Zod tapped his chin with steepled hands. "Perhaps, then you will truly understand the power you have in your delicate, and bruised hands."

"How do you know what I want?" Lana asked, searching his face.

"I saw the gleam in your eye when I said a name. A name so burned into my being that I cannot sleep for dreaming of the face attached to it. You also, crave the secret of that person. It will not make you whole, my dear. It will not bring peace, or salvage your parents." Lana's sharp intake of breath made Zod chuckle. "I know everything."

"Then tell me. Tell me what it is you think I want." Lana said, raising her chin again, her eyes dark, glittering mirrors of Zod's disdain.

"Clark Kent. Who is he? What does he hid behind that mild and handsome exterior?" Zod rose, and walked to the window. "I can hear your heart, dear. It has accelerated, and you are perspiring. How droll."

"Clark? What does he have to do with any of this?" Lana asked, her brain spinning. Oh God, she prayed, losing Lex is hard enough. Please, not Clark, too.

"Seventeen years ago, a small ship from Krypton arrived here, having survived against momentous odds. It brought with it a rain of," Zod paused, thinking, "brimstone and gall that changed a small Kansas town forever. And you, my dear one. Your life was irreversibly changed that day."

"Clark was adopted the day of the meteor shower." Lana breathed and Zod turned to face her, his face predatory.

"Adopted? That day? My dear girl, that was the day that Kal-El, son of Jor-El, last Son of Krypton landed on Earth. Found by the well intentioned Kents, they did indeed adopt him." Zod leaned forward, his eyes glowing with sheer anticipation, expecting Lana to crumble. "Clark Kent is Kal-El. Because of him, your parents are dead."

"No." Lana bristled, her blood cold. "If what you are saying is true, Clark was a baby, he had no control over anything…"Her hands went to her mouth, and she sank to the floor. "He's tried to protect me my whole life, from that, from himself…"

"And his desire to do so, despite your attachment to this…" Zod gestured to Lex's leather clad body. "Will be what lures him to me. I could not depend on fickle amorous intentions, however. Go to the door, and see."

Lana rose, exulting in her heart the truth Zod had given her. Lana felt every doubt she'd had about Clark vanish. He'd never told her, afraid. She knew that now. And even though her feelings for Lex had not changed in the face of this revelation, she suddenly felt lighter. Being stripped of resentments and anger had a way of making one feel able to fly. Lana schooled herself to not run to the door, and as it swung open, her elation faded. Martha Kent, as limp as a rag doll lay on the floor of the living room, and Lois Lane, sat beside her, her head in her hands. Disbelieving, Lana turned, her face a study of hate that made Zod smile paternally at her.

"Company, my pet." Zod said from behind her. "Precious to Kal-El, just as you are."

Lana did not speak. She walked into the living room and sank down beside Martha.

"Oh please, Mrs. Kent. Please…." Lana wailed, and Lois looked up, shaking her head.

"No use, Lana. They've drugged her with something." Lois took her hand from her face, and Lana gasped at the large, purple bruise that now covered half of Lois' face. "I think I have brain damage, because I can't remember a damn thing from ten minutes ago."

Lana rose, wiping her eyes resolutely. Looking down on Martha and Lois, Lana felt a rage boil within her that she had only felt once in her life. Fiercely, she strode back into the bedroom, and marched up to Zod. "I know you are a monster, the worst kind. What do you think Clark is going to do? Give himself up for us? For Lex?" Lana did not dare to raise her balled fists at him, but all the same, her hands moved of their own accord, until they were nearly in Zod's face.

"My darling girl. I have given you far too little credit for intelligence and spirit." Zod crooned joyfully. "It is EXACTLY what I expect he will do."

"God help us." Lana gasped, stepping back. "I hope to God he runs as far as he can, away from you." Zod took her hard little fists in his hands, and gently lowered them to Lana sides. Satisfied she would not raise her hands again, he turned, looking out the window, as if watching for Clark.

"Explain this to me again." Chloe asked, as they went through the cave portal to the Fortress of Solitude. "You're going to what?"

"Kal-El is going to surrender." Lionel explained reasonably. "But not without weapons at his disposal."

"What kind of weapons?" Chloe asked, shivering as they entered the Fortress.

"This." Lionel showed her the transference stone. "We will change places, Kal-El, Oliver Queen and myself. "

"I still say no." Clark said, going to the darkened crystal console. "You and Ollie can do that. Neither of you will be in my place."

"I second that. Lionel, you're falling apart." Oliver Queen added, only half paying attention to his surroundings. "I can do just fine on my own."

"Neither of you are listening." Lionel shook his head. "I must be near Zod. He will not let me close to him if I am, as I am." He chuckled a little and then coughed, bracing himself on Chloe's shoulder. "Thank you, Ms. Sullivan for your constant support." He smiled at his little pun and Chloe returned the smile, hiding her feeling of panic.

"And I can't let any of you get hurt." Clark touched the console and it sprung to life, but glowed a sickly red, the color of clotting blood. "This is interesting."

"Take this, Ms. Sullivan." Lionel dropped the stone into Chloe's hand. "I would have been gentler in the delivery, but I could not risk a transfer at this time."

"Okay." Chloe looked at the rock, and then back at Lionel. "Oh my God, Clark, this is how…"

"Yeah, Chloe." Clark grinned, the first real smile Chloe had seen from him in hours. "Nice when all pieces fit, huh?"

"It's my life." She smiled back, and Oliver whistled, finally looking around.

"Quite a place. Bright. Airy." He observed wryly. "What'd this cost you, Clark, ten, eleven penguins?"

"And a polar bear," Clark quipped, and Oliver nodded, amused.

"Good one, sport. Didn't see it coming. There's hope for you yet." Oliver shrugged off his jacket and threw it around Chloe. "I'm not much for warmth." He had changed into a pair of Clark's jeans and a hooded sweatshirt Chloe had never seen Clark wear. He winked, and rubbed her shoulder a little, more just to touch her than to make her warm.

"Thanks," Chloe gasped gratefully, blinking against the battery of his glance. "I was getting numb."

Lionel had moved to the console, and placing his hands on either side of it, began to chant in Kryptonian. The blood red light first grew brighter and then flashed blue, yellow, and bright red, then brilliantly white. The music of a thousand chimes heralded a rush of light from the console, blinding, warming, the beam shooting up through the ceiling of the Fortress and out into the universe. Time itself seemed to stop, and Clark, Oliver and Chloe all followed the beam with their eyes. Lionel broke away, panting and his hands stinging. His heart beat furiously in his chest, his ears ringing.

"It's done, Kal-El. It is time to reset the imprint.." Lionel sagged, and Chloe caught him, easing him to the floor. "Come, you must touch my forehead."

Clark knelt in front of Lionel, and reached out, barely grazing the older man's head with his extended index finger. Lionel's eyes flashed white, glowing as brilliantly as the newly rebooted console.

"My son.." Jor-El, no longer simply a disembodied voice appeared in the air, a shimmering hologram. "Times are desperate."

"I know." Clark answered, and Jor-El smiled. "I need your help."

"You have all the help with you that you could require, Kal-El." Jor-El looked over Clark's companions. "I see the Oracle, the Archer and the Historian. You need no more. You must follow the Oracle's instructions, Kal-El. Th danger faced by your friends is theirs to face – it is their world that must be freed from Zod's onslaught. You cannot do this alone."

Clark closed his eyes. The idea of Chloe in trouble yet again filled him with that same nauseated feeling he had experienced when he had flown into the atmosphere. But Jor-El was right. It had now become their fight, too. Opening his eyes, he looked at the hologram of his father and sighed. "Lex, how do I free Lex?" Clark asked, and Jor-El nodded.

"Your loyalty to your friend, even in the face of his betrayal is truly one of your most astonishing human gifts, my son." Jor-El smiled. "He will be restored, regardless of the justice of the situation, when Zod is returned to the Phantom Zone. I have tried to make him aware of the gravity of his crime, but he resists."

"Obstinate boy, Jor-El, I apologize. This is a different world." Lionel said, very much himself. "I would expect you could understand about difficult sons."

"Having been one, yes." Jor-El nodded. "Kal-El has not known me. He has known the corrupted data that has infected the Fortress from the first. What I have been able to observe is the kind of son I am proud to have some claim over. Chloe Suli-Van," Jor-El turned to Chloe, this code will unlock your technology. Do not use it until Zod and his pet machine are engaged with Kal-El. Remember, when this is over, you will be one of only a handful who remembers. The rest of humanity will be absolved, both in memory and in spirit. There is more to your task, Chloe Suli-Van."

"Yes…" Chloe rose, and was surrounded by a cylinder of swirling light. "I see it…oh Clark, it was so simple…" Chloe gasped, through the winds that affected only her. "Yes…I see it." Then, finally, ominously. "I understand."

"What the holy hell is going on?" Oliver bellowed, and Jor-El raised a hand. "Let her go, damn you!"

"Silence, Archer." Another cylinder appeared around Oliver. "Chloe Suli-Van will not be harmed. I have a gift for you as well, Archer." The wind swirled around Oliver, and at his feet appeared arrows, ten, all tipped with sharp glowing arrowheads of blue, red and yellow. "These will pierce the flesh of Zod, make him weak enough to send back to the Phantom Zone. They will cause him to hallucinate, but other than that, he will not be mortally wounded."

Oliver stooped to pick them up. "These aren't like any arrow I've ever seen. Light, dead straight.." The wind stopped, and Oliver looked over at the hologram of Jor-El. "You know your stuff, space man."

"Indeed." Jor-El smiled and nodded. "To you, Kal-El, a warning. The portal to the Phantom Zone will be opened when Zod is weakened by the arrows. Use this.." The silver circle bracelet Clark had seen Zod throw into the air appeared before him. "Once Zod is through, I can return Alexander to Earth. Seek him out in the field near the Kent farm, where you were found. He will be confused, frightened. But know this, the knowledge of who you are will not leave him. It will exist in the back of his consciousness forever. That is the price, my son."

"As long as he comes back, and Zod is contained." Clark said. "I'll worry about what Lex knows later."

"It is done, then." Jor-El raised his hands in blessing. "Rao defend your steps, Kal-El, and those of your companions. May he make your courage not falter, and your companions steadfast." And, as suddenly as it had appeared, the imprint was gone.

Clark stood, grasping the silver metal bracelet, his face set in grim, determined lines. Chloe had slumped to the floor, next to Lionel, her head in her hands.

"Where is the transference stone?" Clark asked, and Chloe held it up, holding it in the cuff of Oliver's jacket as if it were hot. "Give it to me, Chloe."

"No, not yet." She turned quickly, before Clark realized what her intentions were, slapping the stone into Lionel's hands. Closing her other hand around the stone and Lionel's palm, Chloe looked into Lionel's eyes and spoke the word for "Oracle" in Kryptonian, and then "Open…"

"CHLOE!" Oliver and Clark screamed at once, and found themselves surrounded by a pillar of light.

"This is her choice, Kal-El. Lionel Luthor is weakening. He is not strong enough to maintain the Oracle any further. Zod will not be expecting this." Jor-El's voice rang through the Fortress. "He must be there to reclaim his son, Kal-El."

"Chloe!" Clark called and she stood, turning toward the pillars that held Clark and Oliver. Her eyes were glowing white.

"Hey, Clark." Chloe said, waving a hand. The pillars vanished and Chloe looked at her hand. "Whoa."

"Chloe." Clark and Oliver went to her, and both stared down into her face.

"You okay, Goldilocks?" Oliver asked, and Chloe smiled at him.

"Never better." She placed the stone in Clark's hand. "You may now decide what to do, Kal-El. The Oracle has been hidden for the time being." She knelt beside Lionel, whose breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps. "For your service, for preserving the knowledge of Krypton, you get your reward now." Chloe leaned forward and kissed Lionel gently on the lips, a formal kiss. Immediately, his color improved and his eyes blinked open.

"Miss Sullivan? Clark?" He got to his feet, looking around him. "The last I remember, we were in the caves.."

"You remember your promise?" Chloe asked cryptically, and Lionel nodded.

"I won't soon forget it, Ms. Sullivan. I have seen too much to revert to my old ways." Lionel smiled, rubbing his chin. "I do feel a good deal stronger."

"Your health has been restored, but your mortality rests on keeping your promise." Chloe replied. "Clark, it's time to go. I'm not going to be able to keep this up much longer either." She walked to the console, and moved her hand across it, the varying tubes shifting colors. "I'm opening a direct portal to Zod's location. He knows we are coming."

"Fine." Clark set the stone down on the console. "I'm not taking that. The rest we do as ourselves."

"Works for me, Clark." Oliver had drawn his bow and loaded one of the Kryptonian arrows. "Let's see what these babies can do."

"Lionel, you have to go back through the caves, and get to Mayers Field, and wait for Lex to get there. He's going to need you." Clark said urgently to Lionel, who nodded.

"I understand." Lionel clasped Clark on the shoulder. "I can't thank you enough, Son, for what you are about to do."

"Don't thank me yet, Lionel." Clark nodded and moved toward the open portal Chloe had activated. "See you in Smallville." Clark leapt through the portal, followed by Oliver and Chloe, leaving Lionel alone in the Fortress.

"Yes." Lionel raised a hand in farewell. "In Smallville."

Clark landed on his feet on the rooftop of the LuthorCorp building. Chloe and Oliver were with him, but he barely registered their presence. Before him, stood Zod.

'Hello, Kal-El." Zod greeted him warmly. "How did you find the Phantom Zone?"

"Ursa says hi." Clark replied. "She's not happy about the way you left things."

Zod smiled, Lex's familiar rueful smile. "Ursa will have her chance to tell me all of her grievances soon enough. But behold, Kal-El. I brought some friends." He gestured to where Lana sat, holding Martha Kent in her lap, and Lois leaned against an exhaust fan. Lois simply stared at him, but Lana shook her head, tears streaking down her cheeks. "We both know why you have come."

"Yes." Clark replied. He stepped forward. "I surrender." Lana's pained wail did not cause Clark to waver. "You have me, let them go."

"So it would seem." Zod looked across the rooftop. Oliver and Chloe had ducked behind chimney stack, barely breathing. "The Oracle has not accompanied you?"

"No." Clark took a step closer. "It's just me and you."

Brain-IAC appeared at Zod's side. "The Fortress has been purified, my lord. The beam is reversed. Jor-El…"

"Is dead." Zod grinned maliciously. "And I have won. Come, Kal-El. Pledge your devotion, and kneel before me."

The sky above them seemed to swirl, the dark clouds mixing with lighter ones, until blue began to appear behind them.

Clark took two more steps toward Zod, and stopped. "Let them go."

"Kneel." Zod said flatly. "Then you shall see these women go free."

Clark nodded, and slowly walked until he was just in front of Zod. Bowing his head, he dropped to one knee. Zod nodded, a hand reaching down to clutch Clark's dark hair.

"You have done well, Kal-El. Now you are my creature, and the ghosts of Krypton weep. My revenge is complete." Zod told him. "You may do as you wish with your human pets. I am done with them."

"Oh, Clark! Oh no! No!" Lana screamed, her heart shattered into a million pieces. This time, Clark looked at her, and Lana gasped at the gleam in his eye. This was NOT over at all.

"This is for Lex." Clark plunged a blue tipped arrow into Zod's side. "Ollie! Now!"

Zod roared, but Oliver Queen's arrows were fast, even faster than he himself could have believed. Four arrows sailed at Zod, landing in his shoulders and abdomen. Falling forward, Zod clutched his torn abdomen and howled. Three more arrows sailed, hitting home in his back, side and one burying itself deeply through his ribs.

"Master!" Brain-IAC screamed, reaching for Zod, but Chloe was faster. She placed her hands on him, her eyes ablaze with light. "It cannot be…."

"But it is." The Oracle said, through Chloe's mouth. "As it was meant to be."

Brain-IAC writhed under her grip, vanishing in a flash of white light. The ship, cloaked, appeared from where it hovered over the LuthorCorp building. Chloe looked up, and raised her hands toward the ship. White light shot from her hands, and enveloped the ship, and in moments, it too was gone in a blinding flash. Chloe slumped to the floor, and opened her laptop. Placing her hand on the keyboard, she spoke the code Jor-El had given her, and one by one, lights began to appear across the Metropolis skyline.

"NO!" Zod struggled to his feet. "Kal-El…." He looked up at Clark, who stood over him like an angel. "You cannot defeat me. I am Zod."

Clark pulled the silver bracelet from his pocket and tossed it into the sky, where it burst into sparkling light. "I am the last Son of Krypton, son of Jor-El. On behalf of the Council of Krypton and the people of Earth, I condemn you to eternity in the Phantom Zone." Clark looked up at the shimmering portal. "May Rao have mercy on your soul."

"THIS IS NOT OVER!" Zod screamed, as the beam from the Phantom Zone shot down and locked on him. "I WILL RETURN!" Still railing, Zod vanished, into the Phantom Zone. The sounds of Metropolis coming back to life drifted up to the rooftop, carried by the music of cheering.

"Lana." Clark went to her. "Is Mom okay?"

"She's fine," Lana said, a quavering smile on her face. "Lois needs the hospital, though."

"And you? Are you okay? He didn't…."Clark asked, blushing. "Hurt you?"

"Nothing that won't heal." Lana assured him. "What about Lex?"

"He'll be in Smallville by breakfast and he'll need you." Clark told her. "I'll be right back."

"Okay…" Lana nodded. "And Clark.." he turned and looked down at her. "I owe you an apology, about what I said back at Lex's. I understand now...about the secrets, the lies."

"It's all okay." Clark smiled. He went to Chloe. Oliver Queen had also gone to her and helped her into a sitting position.

"How are you doing?" Clark asked, and Chloe looked up, her eyes still gleaming. "Chloe?"

"This world will not bear the scars of Zod…they are innocent…" Chloe stood, and took Clark's hand. "We must fly." She lifted off the ground, and Clark flew with her, until they reached high enough to see far beyond Metropolis.

"Absolution." The Oracle said, hands outstretched. Light poured from her, spilling down on the Earth like healing rain. "All will be as it was, and only a handful will remember." The light faded, and Clark quickly caught Chloe in his arms. She blinked twice and shook her head.

"I've heard of sweeping a girl off her feet, Kent, but I have to say, this is completely unexpected.' She smiled, and Clark grinned back at her. "Did we do it?

"Do what?" Clark asked, and Chloe punched him lightly as they sailed back to the LuthorCorp building.

"Save the day, you big dumb alien. Did we?" Chloe asked again, looking down.

"We sure did." Clark held her close, not wanting to let her go. He wanted to tell Chloe about something he had discovered in the Phantom Zone, but stopped seeing Oliver watching them as they came in to land. Remembering what Chloe had said about their kisses, Clark gently kissed her cheek. "I like Oliver, Chloe. He's a nice guy."

"Yeah. I think so too." Chloe replied, her hand going to her cheek. A surprised smile lit her face. "You're not so bad either there, Kent." She searched his eyes, her smile fading a little. "What are you trying to tell me?

"If he's what you want, then that's great." Clark set her down on the concrete roof. "You deserve so much, Chloe. I just want what's right for you." He nodded at Oliver. "Get her home safe for me."

"With pleasure." Oliver said, taking Chloe's hand in his own. "Come on, Goldilocks. Let's go help the others." Chloe nodded, and watched Clark turn midair, and fly off toward home. "Chloe?" Oliver leaned in, "He'll be back, you know. That didn't look like goodbye forever to me."

"I know. That's Clark." Chloe smiled, making her way across the rooftop to embrace Lana and Lois.

Clark sped off toward Smallville, to where Lionel sat alone in his car, waiting for Lex. Now that Clark was sure everyone else was okay, there was one last person to check in on. He landed a few feet away from the stretch limousine, and Lionel got out.

"I gather you were successful, Clark." Lionel extended a hand, smiling. Clark nodded as he shook Lionel's hand and looked over at the empty field.

"No sign yet?" He asked, and the elder Luthor shook his head.

"Not so much as a hailstone." Lionel looked up into the sky. "How did you leave Metropolis?"

"Restored, thanks to the Oracle." Clark told him, and then frowned a little. "How much do you remember, Lionel?"

"Remember? Why, all of it, son." Lionel pursed his lips. "Every last detail, as a matter of fact." He turned to Clark. "There is much more to this story than you know, Clark. I too, spent some time in the Phantom Zone, and met your father. We agreed that I could return to Earth if I aided your quest to stop Zod. And here I am. He is quite an interesting man, your father. You have quite a legacy, my boy, between Jonathan Kent and Jor-El."

"You and Jor-El. I should have known.You're the Historian." Clark replied, not bothering to hide a smile. "What did you see when you were there, Lionel?"

"I saw the many, many mistakes I've made in my life, and the way to make reparations." Lionel said. "I wanted to see Jonathan Kent the night he died for that reason, to explain, to make him understand that I simply wanted to help. But old prejudices die hard, I'm afraid. We both over-reacted, and I am horribly sorry for my part in his death."

"I understand, Lionel." Clark nodded, and then looking up, saw what he was waiting for. "Look!"

A white beam of light shot from the sky, parting the evening clouds like a laser. A small form, huddled in fetal position lie just on the end of the beam. A deafening hum split the air, and in a burst of sound and light, Lex appeared, curled in a ball, amongst the bent cornstalks of Mayers Field. Lionel ran to his son, and Clark stayed behind. Realizing he was suddenly alone, Lionel stopped and turned.

"He'll want to see you, Clark. Come.." Lionel offered a hand, and Clark took a step back, shaking his head.

"Maybe I'll wait, let him get himself back on track first." Clark nodded in Lex's direction. "You'd better go."

Lionel nodded, and when he had finished helping Lex to his feet, covering him with a blanket, Clark was gone.


	5. Episode VS 5 Aftermath

SV VS Episode 5 – Aftermath

Rating: PG

By Denise (kdsch123)

Acknowledgments: WB and DC, of course.

Clark Kent stood alone on the banks of Crater Lake, looking out on the silver ripples that moved across the lake's surface. The sky was the perfect shade of robins egg blue - heralding the arrival of summer in Kansas. Every day since Zod had returned to the Phantom Zone screaming threats, Clark had come here to think. Even his barn loft did not give him the solace he craved. Too much had happened. It had been two weeks. Martha Kent was back at work, having no memory of the events that led up to her waking up on the LuthorCorp Tower roof. Lois Lane had recovered, also mercifully unaware of how precarious her grasp on life had been. Lana Lang, though, remembered everything. It was from Lana that Clark had come out here to hide. She had come to the farm daily, hoping to encourage Clark to visit Lex while he recovered from the punishment he had suffered during his possession by Zod. Never speaking of her own abuse at Zod's hands, Lana quietly accompanied Clark as he went about his chores, offering a helping hand when she could. In the past, this kind of time together would have caused Clark to lapse again into the comfort of his affection for Lana. Instead, her companionship was almost an unintentional accusation, a reminder of how horribly Clark had failed her. So, Clark retreated out to the lake, or sometimes to the caves. The Fortress of Solitude was also off limits; Clark could not look at the console and not imagine it glowing blood red, or look at the transference stone and not see Chloe's face, strangely vacant with glowing white eyes. So Crater Lake, home of happy memories was now Clark's temporary refuge. You need to see Lex, Clark told himself, talk to him. Get the thought of the last conversation you had with him out of your mind forever.

"I can't." Clark said to no one, his voice carrying over the water on the soft early summer breeze. "I'm not ready."

"Not ready for what?" Chloe asked, taking Clark by surprise. "You were a million miles away, Clark. Is everything okay?" She smiled at him, pushing her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "It's felt like you were a million miles away. I haven't seen or heard from you in weeks."

"Been busy." Clark replied, not meeting Chloe's eyes. "You know, the farm. Had to fix the barn roof, and Mom made me register for summer classes at Central Kansas."

"Riiight." Chloe nodded, biting her lip. "You've been busy saving the world and always had time to stop by, say hello, ask me to Google something for you. Did you figure out how to use your computer? Find another blonde that's willing to drop everything on a Saturday night to help you find the bad guy? If so, I'm more than a little hurt." She grinned, the sun dappling her eyes and making a halo of her hair.

"Well, honestly," Clark lied, drawing a breath in. "I figured you were busy with Oliver, and I didn't want to intrude."

Chloe nodded again. "So, it's Oliver, then?" Disbelief and amusement crossed her face. Clark wanted to grab her, kiss her again and challenge Chloe to find a reasonable excuse why that kiss didn't matter. But he shook the thought from his mind with resignation - things were going somewhere with Oliver and Chloe, and Clark would not get in the way. Chloe deserved to be happy.

"No, not like that." Clark looked up. "I'm not jealous, Chloe. I just don't want to be a third wheel. I figured you deserved some space." Even as he said the words, Clark felt the hypocrisy of them. How many times had Chloe been "the third wheel" during his relationship with Lana?

"Ah ha." Chloe raised an eyebrow in response. "So that's why you avoided the repeated phone calls and messages Oliver left. It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain girlfriend of Lex Luthors that has been out at the farm every day, would it?"

Clark laughed bitterly. "Nope. Whatever I felt for Lana is definitely over. She's been coming by to build bridges for Lex."

"Wow." Chloe's eyes opened wide. "He's got a campaign manager for his friendships now. And even with the irresistible Ms. Lang paving the way, you still aren't over at Lex's. Why?"

"I want to forget seeing Zod when I looked at Lex." Clark said, picking up a rock and skimming it across the lake. "I want to see Lex and not think that he nearly destroyed the whole world by opening himself up to Fine for some insane reason that I'll never understand." The next pebble sailed fifty feet before it skipped twice, landing on the opposite shore of the lake. "I want to forget how it felt to stab him with that arrow."

"Clark." Chloe moved next to him, placing her hand on his arm. "You knew it wouldn't hurt him permanently. Jor-El told you that." She slid her hand into his, squeezing it gently. "You did what you had to do, and Lex is fine now."

"I know." Clark dropped his handful of pebbles and wiped his hand on his pants. "It doesn't change how I felt doing it, Chloe. I was glad to do it. I didn't have a moment where I questioned it, and Oliver was right there. That guy can shoot, by the way." He returned Chloe's squeeze and dropped her hand. "I just need some time, that's all."

"Well, don't hide from me. Your mom is worried about you, and I know she wouldn't want this getting around, but even Lois is concerned. " Chloe grinned again." So, let's go pack a bag, Kent. You're coming to Metropolis with me for some fun. "

"I don't think so, Chloe." Clark shook his head. "I'm really sorry.."

Chloe folded her arms. She studied him in silence for what felt like an eternity. "I think I understand. You're blaming yourself for everything."

Stung, Clark folded his own arms and shook his head. "That's ridiculous."

"Hardly." Chloe poked him. "As a matter of fact, it's so Clark Kent that I can't believe it didn't dawn on me before. So much for a reporter's keen instincts." She laughed and put her hands on his folded arms. "You can't just be alone, Clark. Especially after what happened. None of it was your fault."

"Chloe, it was ALL my fault." Clark snapped, turning away. "Jor-El gave me the dagger to destroy the Vessel. If the arrows didn't kill Lex, the dagger probably wouldn't have either. All of this could have been avoided. None of you would have been in danger." He closed his eyes.

"You can't know that, Clark." Chloe replied, her voice washing over him. "And even if what you are saying is partially true, you did what you thought was the right thing. That's what matters. No one can blame you for that."

"I BLAME ME." Clark's voice rang out over the lake, causing the birds to stir and fly away. "I failed."

"Clark, for God's sake, look at me." Chloe grabbed his shirt and tugged at him until he opened his eyes. Looking up at him, Chloe suddenly felt a little dizzy. He always had that effect on her, and Chloe reached up to touch Clark's face. "You saved everyone. Regardless of how it all came to that point, in the end, you succeeded." They stared at each other, and Clark nodded slowly, letting her words sink in.

"Thank you, Chloe." Clark said finally, putting his arm around her. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Hey, that's what friends do." Chloe rested her head against his chest peacefully. Whatever their relationship, Clark was the best hugger Chloe knew. Smiling, Chloe returned to her purpose – to get Clark back to himself. "Now, about Metropolis," She looked up at Clark hopefully. "Oliver has a friend whose band is playing tonight…"

Lex sat up, drenched in sweat. Panting, he looked around the room, desperate to recognize something. His heart raced and blood pounded in his ears, drowning out all sound.

Hovering on the edge of his awareness, Lex sensed Lana. She had just come into the room, a soft blur of pale lavender and smelling sweetly of gardenias. Her hands were cool, and Lex relaxed feeling them, his whirling mind slowing down as Lana sat beside him, gathering his shaking body into her arms.

"Lex?" Lana's voice drifted to him over the slowly receding drumbeats in his ears. "You had another nightmare…"

"Lana." He gasped, nodding. Taking a long drink of water from the frosted glass on his nightstand, Lex felt his world start to shift back into focus. Sunlight peeked around the tailored draperies in his bedroom, hinting at the time of day. "Lana. Where am I?"

"You're home, Lex." Lana replied softly, brushing his cheek with her lips. "You had another one of those dreams. I'm here and it's a beautiful day. I thought it might be nice to have lunch outside, if you're feeling up to it."

"Has Clark been here?" Lex asked, looking around. "Did he come today?" The room was now back in Lex's memory, each item familiar and comforting.

"No." Lana shook her head. "He's been through a lot too, Lex. I've never seen Clark like this. Between the both of you, I don't know who is worse off." She smiled. "He'll be here eventually."

Lex nodded, taking a sip of water. "And my father?"

"He's been here every day." Lana told him, smiling. "Lionel is in Metropolis right now, but he'll be here soon."

"Okay." Lex set the glass back down on his nightstand. "When he comes, I'll see him in the study. I'm feeling stronger today."

"Good." Lana nodded approvingly. She rose from the bed and beamed at Lex. "I'll have lunch set up on the veranda for us. The fresh air can only do you good." Almost skipping, Lana went to the door.

"Lana?" Lex called out to her and she turned, her dark hair swinging around her shoulders. "You are good for me. I wanted to tell you that. I think I would have been back in Belle Reve if not for you. "

"Lex." Lana's eyes filled with tears. She shook her head and sighed. "We still haven't talked about what happened, and I don't want to until you are strong enough. No matter what, you will always have me, Lex. I promise." Smiling, Lana opened the bedroom door. "Get dressed and come downstairs."

As she left, Lex had a flash of a memory. Jor-El's voice, warm, deep and powerful in the blackness of the Phantom Zone. "Be mindful of those who surround you, Alexander. Their attachment to you is a great strength. Let it be your lodestone against the darkness within you."

Except now, the darkness within Lex felt a lot like the remnants of a vengeful Kryptonian general who would not go quietly. Lex closed his eyes, smothering Zod's piercing shriek and the bellowed threats as Lex was returned to his body. But Jor-El had not let Zod reclaim Lex. Instead, Lex found himself travelling down a beam of pure white light, drifting in and out of consciousness. The days after that were all caught up in one big blur. Lex stretched and got out of bed, relishing the feel of the floor under his feet, the substance around him. Everything was tangible and real. The time in the Phantom Zone had been too jarring, and the experience of being a spirit himself at the time made returning to flesh and blood again quite the challenge. He walked into the dressing room, catching sight of his reflection in the long wall of mirrors. Seeing himself, Lex moved closer to the mirror, studying his own face. Zod had worn Lex like a mask; even Lana had recoiled at first, when he'd reached out in his semi-delirium to touch her face. Lex had seen Clark there, in the hospital, with Lana, and he remembered how like an angel his former friend had seemed, even while standing in the shadows of the room. Later, Lana had said that Clark was never there, had not come to the hospital at all, but had called often, and had brought over some of his mother's famous beef stew for her, leaving it at the mansion. Lex was not entirely convinced, but let it slide. Looking into his own eyes again, Lex searched for some trace of Zod. But in truth, there was no need because no physical trace remained. The sad fact was that in spite of his best efforts, Jor-El had failed. Lex heard Zod's voice in his soul and he realized that he would continue to hear it there for the rest of his life.

"This was a bad idea..."Clark stood in the crowded club, talking down into Chloe's ear. "I really don't need to be here." Reluctantly he had agreed to come to the show with Chloe and Oliver, and then to further allow Chloe to pick an 'acceptable' outfit from his closet. Now, standing the the club, Clark drank an expensive soda and watched other people dance to the music that the band, called Syren, was playing. The music was mesmerizing, and the lead singer, a gorgeous strawberry blonde in dark blue leather had a voice that seemed to never miss.

"Yes, you do." Chloe nodded in time to the music.. "The band is so great, don't you think? Oliver said he's going to introduce us to them later. You have to stay." Chloe made puppy eyes at Clark, who sighed and sipped at his soda. "Please? Come on, Clark, this is fun. Have some."

"Yes, you have to stay." Oliver's voice rang out, just as the band finished their song. He grinned broadly, grasping Clark's hand. "How the hell are you, stranger? Hello, Goldilocks." Oliver leaned over and kissed Chloe's cheek. "Well, Clark? You been okay?"

"I'm alright." Clark smiled reluctantly. "You know. Sorry I haven't called you back, but..."

"Yeah, I know." Oliver put his arm around Clark's shoulder, grinning. "What you need is a distraction. Come with me, Grasshopper. You too, Chloe. I'd like you to meet someone." The older man led Clark to the stage, where the lead singer, was engrossed in conversation with the bass player of the band, a short, spiky haired brunette. The bassist spotted Oliver and instantly smiled in recognition. However her eyes narrowed at the sight of Chloe's hand in his, the smile fading just as quickly as it appeared.

"Ollie." The girl said, and the singer turned around, the full battery of her aquamarine eyes falling not on Oliver, but on Clark. She smiled, seating herself on the edge of the stage, tearing her eyes away from Clark to greet her friend with a genuine smile.

"Oliver. I'm so glad you made it. Callista and Persephone were sure you'd gotten held up someplace." The red head's smile was contagious, and she turned her attention to Chloe. "Love your jacket. I'm Lori." The hand she extended was long, and delicately white. "Short for Lorelai." Her speech was tinged with an accent that Clark could not identify, but found himself wanting to hear more of.

"I'm Chloe Sullivan." Chloe introduced herself with a smile, shaking Lori's hand. "Your music is amazing. I have to get your cd and I'd love an interview – for both the Met U paper and the Daily Planet."

"Here." Lori reached into a guitar case and fished out a disc, the silver cover gleaming like a freshly caught salmon. "Please. I can never refuse a fan." She offered it to Chloe, who took it with a pleased smile. "I'll see what I can work out for the interview, though.:" Lori looked over her shoulder at her band mates, who were languidly preparing for the next set.

"Oh no problem." Chloe replied. "Here's my card. Call me any time." Lori took the offered card, her eyes darting over to Clark, who watched her every move.

"So, how long are you in Metropolis, Lori?" Oliver asked, looking over at Clark, who was staring at the singer. Chloe also, noticed Clark's interest in the singer and smiled. Oliver had been right. Clark needed the distraction. In fact, he seemed to be what Gabe used to call 'twitterpated", Chloe thought, imagining little red hearts floating around Clark's head.

"A little while. We're working on the next album, and I'm into this whole Midwestern laid back feeling. Plus, the Mississippi is so inspiring." Lori looked at Clark as she answered Oliver, her eyes pools of soft blue in her beautiful face. "And who is this?"

"This is Clark Kent." Oliver gave Clark a little push toward Lori. "And Clark, this is my good friend, Lori Lemaris."

"Hi." They both said at once, and then both laughed. Clark felt Lori's hand slide into his, and felt himself enthralled by her gurgling, tinkling laugh. "I'm glad to meet you, Clark." Lori said, sliding off the stage to stand beside him. "I have to admit, I have been hoping to meet you since you walked in."

"Yeah.." Clark mooned, and all of them laughed. Startled back into awareness by the ringing of his cellphone, Clark reached into his pocket to answer it. Lana. "Excuse me." He moved away from the little group, and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Clark?" Lana's voice washed over him like the summer breeze at the lake. "I'm sorry, your mom said you were out with Chloe and her friend, but I hoped you could come see Lex tonight. I think he could use a friend."

"Now?" Clark looked at his watch and then over where Lori, Chloe and Oliver stood in comfortable conversation. It didn't take much for Clark to realize that he had been avoiding what needed to be done. "Lana, I'll be there in a little bit."

"Really? Oh, Clark, thank you." Lana sighed. "He's been asking about you."

Clark hung up and turned to Chloe. "Chlo', I have to..."

"I figured. Clark Kent to the rescue." She smiled. "Want me to get Lori's phone number for you?"

"No thanks." Clark kissed Chloe's forehead. "I can handle that for myself, when the time is right. I gotta go." He waved to Oliver, who waved back, a puzzled expression on his face. Lori also, raised a hand in farewell, a small smile playing on her lips.

Clark got to the Luthor mansion and silently leapt over the fence like a cat. The security guard snoozed peacefully in the booth, and Clark smiled, snapping a twig to wake the man up. The guard sat up, sleepily alert, and blinked in Clark's direction.

"Go on in." The guard gestured toward the house. "Just keep the noise down. Mr. Luthor is sleeping."

"Lex invited me." Clark said, suddenly at a loss, and the guard shook his head.

"No, the senior Mr. Luthor." The guard sat down again, and closed his eyes. "Go on."

Clark shook his head and walked up the driveway to the house. A noise from the direction of the pool made Clark jump, and Lex appeared, a ghostly figure uncharacteristically dressed in jeans and a white button down shirt. He was barefoot, and seemed just as startled to see Clark standing on his estate. An awkward silence filled the space between them and finally, Clark cleared his throat and spoke.

"What are you doing out here, Lex?" Clark asked, and Lex shook his head in amazement.

"It never fails, Clark. You always greet me with a question." Lex smirked, clapping Clark on the shoulder. "I think I'll feel better when the question is about my health instead of how I'm occupying my time."

Clark smiled, clearly embarrassed, and Lex thought of Jor-El. "Sorry. Lana called."

"Lana, Lana." Lex looked up at the house, where Lana stood, silhouetted in the window, watching them. "She's been worried."

"With good reason." Clark straightened, and seemed to grow half a foot taller. "You gave everyone quite a scare, Lex."

"Sorry, Dad." Lex's mocking smile lit up his face. "It was quite an adventure, wasn't it?"

"It sure was." Clark relaxed a little, and then laughed. "There's a lot we need to talk about, Lex, but I'm not sure I want to tonight." He ran a hand through his hair. "Don't know what to do next. "

"I don't know either." Lex laughed ruefully. "I suppose chess would seem a little inappropriate."

Clark thought about that for a moment. "No, I think chess is probably exactly right." His phone rang as he and Lex walked toward the house. Pulling it from his pocket, Clark quickly read the text message. It was from Chloe.

"BDA, thank me later. Here's Lori's 411...Chloe." Smiling, Clark slid the phone in his pocket again.

"Good news? Stock tip?" Lex teased, and Clark nodded.

"Something like that." Clark replied cryptically. "Let's go get that chess game started."

"Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I had fun tonight." Chloe said, slipping her shoes off as they walked up the stairs to the brownstone apartment in Metropolis that she shared with her father. "Your friend Lori is amazing. I can't wait to load this CD onto my MP-3 player. It was really nice of her to help me get that interview with her band, too."

"She's okay." Oliver replied neutrally, "Seems to be smitten with Clark. Smitten is going around, I think." Chloe turned, and Oliver laughed at her shocked expression. "Come on, Chloe. You didn't think I've been hanging around with you these last couple of weeks to play Parcheesi, did you?"

"Parcheesi?" Chloe looked up, pretending to think. "I'm not a Parcheesi kind of girl. I'm more of a Scrabble person." Oliver closed the distance between them, staying on the step below Chloe. Even one step above Oliver, Chloe still only came to his eye level. She simpered at him beginning to turn away, but he caught her hand in his own.

"Smitten is a Scrabble word." Oliver said, brushing Chloe's bangs out of her eyes. "So is infatuated."

"Stop." Chloe held up a hand. "Infatuated? With me?"

"For a bright girl you sure are a bit slow on the uptake, Sullivan." Oliver teased. His fingers gently traced her cheekbone. "Saving you from that crowd was the best thing I ever did." Oliver paused, and then smiled, more gently than Chloe had ever seen him. "Before now."

"Why is that?" Chloe asked, her voice low, her heart racing. "What's so special about now?" His eyes were a deep, mossy green, darker than Clark's, and framed with thick, wheat colored lashes, Chloe noted, feeling butterflies wings fluttering in her belly. The intensity in Oliver's eyes made Chloe tremble a little as he tipped her chin up, leaning in to tease her lips with his own. She gasped, shivering and then smiled up at him, anticipating what was coming next.

"I thought I made that clear, Goldilocks. You have to know what I'm thinking." Oliver grinned, kissing Chloe first very softly and then more urgently. He pulled her close, feeling her melt against him, returning the kiss eagerly. She broke away with a small sigh, and stared up into Oliver's face. A soft, bemused smile lit up her face, and Chloe reached up to kiss him again. Not completely able to block out thoughts of Clark, Chloe reminded herself that he had told her he wanted her to be happy. And right now, Chloe thought, happiness was here in the stairwell of her apartment, with the tall, blond billionaire who had literally swept her off her feet.


	6. Episode VS 6 Lure

Smallville Virtual Season – Episode 6 – Lure

The dreams that Lex Luthor had since being freed from the Phantom Zone were not just ordinary nightmares. They were apocalyptic visions, disturbing images of loss and pain that were hard to shake, even on a brilliantly sunny June afternoon. He would awaken, his temples screaming, and Lana's soft, even breathing beside him so irritating that he could feel her struggling beneath his pillow, fighting for air and her life. He'd never actually done that, of course, but it was there, the emotion so real and bitter to Lex that he had a hard time concealing it. That particular kind of murder was a serious issue for Lex, because it brought up unwelcome memories of his mother and Julian. Now, driving down the county roads toward town, Lex thought briefly of his mother. Lost parents were always the easiest to deify or destroy, he thought with a sardonic smile. Clark had a troubled history with Jor-El, Lex had remembered from his time in the Phantom Zone. Jor-El's regret over that had been one of the many things Lex had wished he could see in Lionel. Living parents were much more problematic. They either were, or were not. You could allow them the grey areas, of course, but just the same, they were little bundles of unpredictable actions. Lionel had been attentive, his ruthless need to grow Lex into a Luthor worthy of the name inexplicably on the back burner, and his time with Martha Kent growing more and more frequent. Passing the Kent farm, Lex remembered the days of wishing he'd grown up like Clark, happy and safe, with parents whose primary goal was to keep their child healthy and strong. Looking now, Lex could see Clark working in the cow pen, a large golden retriever nearby and oddly enough, Oliver Queen there too, in the cow pen, looking over a heavily pregnant cow. Intrigued, Lex pulled into the Kent's long drive and brought his car to a stop just outside the pen.

"Well, well, well." Lex said, getting out of his car. "What's wrong, Ollie? Investments go bust?" He smiled and extended a hand. "Or are you diversifying?"

"No, just keeping my hand in." Oliver nodded, pulling off the heavy work gloves. "This cow should have dropped her load a week ago, Clark says. Anyway, I had a situation like this in Montana not all that long ago, so I offered to help out. Nothing I need to be doing can't be done from here, as long as the Senator and Clark don't mind." He shook Lex's hand, pointedly examining Lex with a keen eye. "You look better, Lex. Last time I saw you, you looked like chewed gum."

"Nice analogy, Ollie." Lex laughed. "I'm much improved since then. I guess you're going to be around for awhile. I hear you've been working with my father on literacy programs in Metropolis."

"Starting in Metropolis." Oliver corrected. "He's doing it out of the kindness of his heart. I'm doing it to get the little buggers ready for the world, and educated enough to make some smart decisions. Hey, Clark." Oliver turned and Clark looked up from the book he was reading, comparing a sore on the back of the cow he had tethered to the fence with a picture. "Look who's here. "

"Lex." Clark closed the book and walked to the fence. He wiped his forehead on his wrist and squinted at Lex. "What's the occasion?"

"Couldn't believe my eyes. It's not every day you see a timber and land baron working on a small Kansas farm." Lex looked around. The roof on the Kent barn was new, and there were large unpainted patches on the barn walls. Lana had told him that Clark had been busy fixing the farm up, keeping him away from just about everyone he knew. The other night, when they had begun their chess game, Clark had told him about the conversation they had the night Zod came, and although Lex had not wanted to believe it, the proof was right before his eyes now. The things he had said to Clark were true, and Lex had never breathed them to a soul before that night, or even confess them to himself. But, they had been the incentive to work with Fine, to seduce Lana, but there was more to it now. Meeting Jor-El in the Phantom Zone had convinced Lex more than ever that someone had to exert some kind of control. Jor-El had been a failure on Krypton, and look where that had ended up, the planet destroyed, a lone Kryptonian child sent into space, a target for every being with a grudge against Jor-El. Lex remembered that. And he remembered more than that, though he would never admit it to anyone, not even Lana. He looked at his former friend with new eyes now. The cause of every misery and heartache in Lex's nightmares stood before him, innocently holding a book on veterinary medicine for farmers, dressed in jeans and work boots. The last son of Krypton. "Wanted to thank you for stopping by the other night, too, Clark."

"Oh." Clark seemed surprised. Oliver had turned, and Lex noticed the smirk that curled the corner of Queen's mouth. "No problem, Lex. I'm glad you are back on your feet."

"I realize it was for Lana's benefit." Lex said, and Clark shrugged. "But it meant something to me too."

"It wasn't for Lana's benefit, Lex." Clark said, eyes cautious and his tone guarded. "I wanted to see how you were. You were through a lot, and I couldn't let it just go by." Clark shook his head. "I'm just glad you are back to your old self."

"Of course." Lex nodded. He looked at his watch. "Well, gentlemen, I have to go. I have a very important meeting in Metropolis." He turned and walked back to his car as Oliver and Clark went back to the business of the cows. Sliding into his car, Lex felt a small, stinging barb of regret. It seemed anti-climactic that this new phase of his relationship with Clark had begun over a chess game. But it was clear that they were on opposite sides now. He looked back at Clark and Oliver. They had both gone to look at the wounded cow. They were an odd pairing, Lex thought, putting his car in gear. Oliver completely irreverent, and Clark so proper. He turned the car and drove off, his mind moving to the meeting he had in Metropolis. The business of being Lex Luthor had begun.

Chloe stood in the mixing booth, while Lori and her band listened to the playback on the song they had just recorded. She looked at her watch, as the argument over an odd harp like instrument raged on. Lori had come through and gotten her band mates to agree to the interview, although there had been a great deal of resistance from one of the girls, the spiky haired brunette named Callista. The others, Persephone, Gisela, Morgaine and Rowan all agreed, and it was Morgaine who called to Chloe, gesturing wildly.

"Hey, Chloe." She tapped on the glass, her purple hair pulled away from her face, which was flushed with frustration. "Tell Boss man in there that you like the lyre." She pointed to her instrument and grinned.

Chloe laughed, and shrugged. 'It sounded great, but I couldn't tell the difference between that and a regular harp."

Lori turned in her seat and smiled up at Chloe. "It's okay. I don't think Bob is going to be arguing anymore. Are you, Bobby?"

The producer smiled at them groggily, Gisela standing behind him massaging his neck.

"Oh, no, babe." Chloe stifled a giggle, as the man leered up at the impromptu masseuse. "You all can play bottles and kettles from now on."

Lori looked back at Morgaine and gave her a thumbs up. "You win, Morgaine. No more nostalgia, okay? You get homesick, you go home."

Morgaine laughed, and Chloe swore it sounded like a running stream, but dismissed it as an illusion of the acoustics of the room. All the same, Morgaine's grey eyes darted in Chloe's direction and then she shrugged.

"All I'm saying is that in Greece, these things are hot." She tossed her head, and Callista snorted.

"Three thousand years ago." The bassist said, placing her bass in it's large, rectangular case and snapping it shut. "I'm out of here. Want to go for a swim before dinner."

"We have an interview." Lori said, rolling her eyes. "You promised you'd cooperate."

Callista turned, hands on her slender hips and her tone as spiky as her black hair. "I'll tell you what, Lorelai, I'll cooperate at the pool." Chloe saw a look something very like annoyance sail across Lori's mild face, and then pass just as quickly into an expression she had seen more of, gentle amusement.

"Suit yourself, Callie." Lori laughed finally. "Chloe can come to the hotel and swim with us. Hope you have waterproof ink, Chloe."

"Hee, waterproof ink, that's cute, babe." The producer leered at Lori, who simply ignored him. Callista had fixed Chloe with a piercing glare, and Chloe was reminded uncomfortably of the sharks at the Metropolis Aquarium.

"Yeah, right." Callista scoffed. "See you around." She picked up her bass and left the studio, allowing the door to slam shut behind her.

"Don't mind her." Gisela told Chloe, wiping her hands on her faded jeans. "Callista always gets like that when she's hungry."

"I'll bring raw meat with me next time." Chloe replied dryly, and Gisela's eyes widened.

"How did you know?" She asked, and then, "She's on a raw food diet." Lori had risen, eyebrows high, and Gisela turned toward her, her voice pleading. "Well, she is."

"Okay." Lori rolled her eyes. "Enough of this. Come on, Chloe." She held out a hand. "We'll all go back to the hotel for lunch. If our blood sugar drops any more, there'll be mayhem."

"Sure." Chloe smiled. "I also want dirt on Oliver. Off the record."

Lori's amazing eyes sparkled with good humor. "Like what? Boxers or briefs? Because I promise, I have no earthly idea." She laughed brightly. "We had a boating accident a few years ago in Seattle, and have been friends ever since." She took Chloe's hand. "I'll tell you all I know about Ollie, if you tell me all you know about Clark. "

Chloe grinned, and shook Lori's hand. "Deal." Mentally crossing her fingers, Chloe figured the abridged version of Clark's life story was good enough for now. If he chose to tell her more, then that was up to him.

"Otis, I hope you realize that I have better things to do than watch hotel security tapes." Lex said, walking around his desk to the bar in his office. He opened a bottle of mineral water and eyed the chubby security guard coldly. "But your message was intriguing."

"I heard you liked freaks, Mr. Luthor." Otis said, practically falling over his own feet to start the tape. "This is a doozy, it really is. See, there was a rumor that someone had a shark at the Metropolis Grand."

"A shark?" Lex set the bottle down on the bar and stabbed Otis with a steely glance. "Seems highly unlikely."

"I though so too, Mr. Luthor. That's why I set up the camera. It ain't a shark, though. Look." Otis pointed to the image of a young woman, about twenty or so, getting ready to dive into the pool. She twitched and then jumped, nearly disappearing and then, clear as a bell, the tail of a great white shark appeared above the surface of the water. Otis stopped the tape. "That girl, she's the shark."

"This tape is doctored." Lex dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "There's no such thing."

"There is, Mr. Luthor. This girl is in a band that's playing here in town right now. Called Syren, or something. The whole group of them are mermaids." Otis replied earnestly, fidgeting with his blue uniform cap. "Honest, Mr. Luthor."

Lex turned around and looked at the paused image on the television screen again. Following the shark tail into the water, Lex could make out the shapely torso of a young woman, her arms outstretched on her way back down to the bottom of the pool. "Well, Otis, maybe I'm being hasty. My secretary will see that you are compensated for the tape, and the time lost from your job. " Lex walked away from the television again to stand with his back to Otis, looking out at the sweeping skyline of Metropolis.

"Thank you, Mr. Luthor." Otis nearly bowed, turning his cap over in his thick hands again. "Have a good day, Mr. Luthor."

Hearing the door shut behind Otis, Lex turned around and hit a button on his phone. "Find out where a band called Syren is playing here in town, and get me two tickets, please."

Lex's secretary squealed a little. "They're at that new place on the north side, I forget the name, but Lex, they are sooo good." Lex could see her in his minds eye, at her desk, grinning like a schoolgirl.

Lex nodded, curtly. "You've seen them?"

"My sister is a big fan." His secretary told him. "Really popular on the college music circuit. I went with her the other night. "

"Great, indie rock." Lex winced. "Get the tickets. Thanks."

"Hello, working men of America!" Chloe called, dropping her purse on the Kent's sofa. The front door, as usual when Clark was home, was unlocked and open. "Clark? Oliver?" Lori followed her, looking around her with great interest. The girls had driven out to Smallville after the interview on a whim. Chloe looked around, and turned to Lori with a shrug. "Must be outside."

"What a lovely home." Lori ran her hand across the mantle. "So full of air and light."

"Um, yeah." Chloe smiled, looking around. "Where did you grow up? A cave?"

Lori's smile in return was wistful. "It wasn't like this, that's for sure, but no, not a cave."

The sound of male voices made the girls turn toward the kitchen door. Clark and Oliver appeared, both dirty, but looking rather pleased with themselves. 

"I'm half tempted to buy that little calf." Oliver was saying, "As a memento of my visit to Kansas."

Clark laughed. "I'll just name him Ollie. To remember you by."

"Great, just don't…" Oliver grinned wider. "Wow, visitors all over the place today. Hey, Goldilocks." He moved to embrace her, but Chloe held up a hand to fend him off. She stood tiptoe, brushed his cheek with a chaste kiss and then grinned brightly,

"Hi yourself. Clark, look who stowed away in my car to come see you." Chloe turned, gesturing like a game show model at Lori. Clark smiled, his eyes meeting Lori's for what felt like forever.

"Hi." Lori waved shyly, her eyes soft and a little nervous. "Sorry if I'm intruding, but I've never seen a farm before."

"Hi." Clark said feebly, staring at her. "Let me just wash my hands and I'll give you the tour."

In moments, Clark's hands were clean and he and Lori disappeared out on to the farm.

"What's with the time out, Ref?" Oliver asked, looking at Chloe quizzically. "It's not like Clark doesn't know we're seeing each other. I spent the day learning all about your high school past. Ms. Editor in Chief – Prom Queen."

"I don't know.." Chloe squirmed cutely and smiled. "It just feels weird, I guess."

"Weird." Oliver nodded. "Hmmm. Weird because of…" He looked out the window where Clark and Lori were looking at the barn. "Just say the word, Chloe and I'm making a graceful exit. "

"What? Oh come on. Just let's say that it's not the most romantic setting and you are…" Chloe groaned. "You're all…what is all over you, anyway?" She wrinkled her nose and gingerly picked at his shirt with two fingers.

"Oh.." Oliver looked down. "Clark's cow had her calf today…" He grinned wickedly at Chloe and she felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter madly. "You know, you're supposed to think I'm irresistible no matter how I look." His green eyes danced with good humor. "Come on, admit it, you do think I'm wonderful, right?" Oliver's grin was mischievous. "I am really, you know."

Chloe laughed and gave in. "You are wonderful. But you do stink, Oliver."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Oliver nodded, mock solemn. After a brief flash of thought, he stripped off his shirt and pulled her close. "Hello, Chloe." Bending to her, Oliver kissed Chloe's lips hungrily. The kiss grew a little more complex, Chloe's arms reaching up around Oliver's neck to get as close to him as she could. The Kent house was quiet, and Chloe had to admit, it was fairly romantic after all.

"Hmmm" Chloe hugged Oliver tightly,reveling in the feel of his hair against her cheek. "You ARE a stinker, Oliver." His lips had moved down to her neck, and Oliver grinned against her collarbone.

"I said I get that a lot." Oliver laughed, squeezing Chloe back. "I'm going to get cleaned up, and then I'm all yours.." Winking, he quickly kissed her again and went up the stairs two at a time. "Yeah, I like the sound of that."

"All yours…" Chloe looked out the window at Clark and Lori. There was something very unusual about Lori, and Chloe couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was. The girl seemed to inspire all kinds of impulsive, fun thoughts and Chloe couldn't help but enjoy being around her. Smiling, she watched Clark push his hands into his pockets, and his shy smile slide across his face as Lori greeted Shelby as if meeting a long missed family friend. The dog was a good judge of character, Chloe admitted to herself, even though her instincts were humming. Her time spent with the girls of Syren had only produced more questions than answers. Upstairs, Chloe could hear water running, and smiled to hear Oliver singing off key. She closed her eyes, thinking of the first time he had kissed her, and the other moments in between, relishing the memory of his mouth on hers and his scent, so completely different from Clark's familiar smell of apples, new hay and fresh air. Oliver smelled great, like leather and soap, manly and alluring. Oliver Queen was a lot of things, Chloe thought, grinning, seeing him in her mind's eye. She appreciated all of those things, especially his forthrightness and sense of humor. For the first time in her life, she didn't care where things led. She just was enjoying the time she and Oliver had together now.

"I can't believe you're here." Clark said, walking beside Lori through the barn. "I was going to call you." The sun was starting to hang low in the sky, casting long shadows on the ground, and making the gold in Lori's hair glisten like pirate's treasure. It was always Clark's favorite time of day, but now, with this girl, Clark knew that he'd never think of the hour before sunset as anything other than magical again.

"I'm glad." Lori nodded, reaching up to touch one of the horses. The horse, usually balky, allowed her to gently stroke his fine nose without complaint. "Chloe was interviewing us today, and I really did hitch a ride with her. I like Chloe. She got along really well with everyone, and we had a great afternoon."

"Yeah, me too." Clark laughed. "She and I, well…she's my best friend."

"I know." Lori pulled her glorious hair over her shoulder and roughly braided it. "I think it's very cool that you guys are good friends. I've never really had that kind of friendship with a man…I mean, except for Ollie, of course."

"Are you close?" Clark asked, feeling a small twinge of jealousy. The fact that Chloe and Oliver were involved was one thing, but this girl…

"Yes, but not like you're thinking. I'm used to having people treat me funny." Lori told him, her eyes rolling. "If it's not how pretty, it's how talented, or something. People fall all over me. I hate it, too, so I'm not being falsely modest. Ollie's different. He treats me pretty much like he does everyone else. I'm not exceptional to him, and I like that. He's been a good friend."

"Oh." Clark nodded, understanding. "Well, I'll have to remember that."

Lori smiled, sliding her arm through his as they walked out of the barn and into the corn field. She looked up at him and Clark smiled down at her. With a sigh, she dropped her head on his shoulder. "What a great evening." Lori paused and looked up at him for a moment. "Clark?"

"What is it?" Clark asked, and Lori shook her head.

"Just thinking how nice it is to be here." Lori took a deep breath in, with ripening corn all around her, intoxicated by the fragrance of the lingering sun and the soil. Gazing up at Clark with wide eyes, Lori hesitantly smiled, and then kissed him sweetly on the lips. That moment seemed to last forever, and finally Lori pulled away, covering her mouth surprised at her boldness. "I can't believe I just did that."

"Neither can I." Clark smiled, his confidence building. "I'm not sorry you did."

"I'm not either." Lori blushed, and then laughed. "My mother would be horribly ashamed of me. Lack of decorum and all."

"Oh, your mother is old fashioned." Clark nodded. "Mine is too."

"Really?" Lori asked hopefully, and then shook her head. "I promise, not so old school as mine. " She laughed at Clark's dubious expression. "Mother is, well, kind of a high flyer in society back home, so, much is expected of us."

"Ah." Clark laughed. "So a Kansas farmer is a rebellion?"

"My whole life is a rebellion." Lori said sadly, reaching up to put her hand on Clark's face. "But I think Mother would approve of you."

Feeling the urge to collect her in his arms, Clark did so, grateful that she yielded so easily, wrapping her arms around him in return. "I'm pretty sure mine will approve of you, too." He said, holding her close.

How nice it must be, Lori thought, reveling in the warmth of Clark's body against her own, to have no secrets to hide and your life be an open book. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the soothing sound of his breathing and the absolutely addicting earthiness of his scent. Only for now, the voice in her mind warned, it's soft gurgling speech a stinging reminder of what secrets she held to her heart. For now, and that is all. Forever isn't possible, the voice rumbled within her soul, tying her down. Feeling the constraint, Lori pushed it further away, simply breathed in Clark Kent and immersed herself in the magical world he belonged to. Whatever else happened, they had now, and that needed to be enough.

"I'm glad you agreed to meet me." Lex purred at the woman across from him. He watched her dark eyes narrow, but the smile that played across her lips was inviting all the same. A vision of urban sexiness, his companion suddenly put all thoughts of Lana out of his mind.

"When one of the richest men in America calls to invite a poor girl from Long Island like me out for drinks, it's stupid to refuse." Callista replied smoothly. "I didn't know you were a fan." She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, her dark eyes beguiling. The movement allowed Lex a long view down her silk blouse, revealing creamy tanned skin and her cleavage. Not usually one to be taken by surprise, Lex pulled his eyes away and picked up his drink.

"Well, my secretary spoke very highly of your music, gave me the cd to listen to. I have to say, I'm very impressed." Lex took a sip of his drink. "I noticed that you are on an independent label. Does your manager think that's wise? Surely the marketing power of a larger record label could only benefit your band."

"We don't have a manager. Our lead singer does most of the leg work." Callista stirred her water with a long finger, making the ice tinkle against the sides of the glass. "If you want a business decision, you need to talk to Lorelai."

"Well, then." Lex smiled. "We'll just keep the conversation friendly, won't we?"

"Good, because I love friendly conversation." Callista replied languidly. "Especially with handsome billionaires." She smiled, and Lex was so intrigued that the perfectly white, and sharp looking teeth in that smile slipped completely past his notice. His cell phone rang, but Lex had no interest in answering, even though there could have been no mistaking the caller, if he had just looked out the wide doorway into the lobby. Lana Lang, cell phone in hand, stood in the hotel lobby, staring into the bar. Seeing Lex not answer her call, Lana snapped her phone shut, tears filling her eyes and rage seething in her heart. That he was with another woman, looking very, very involved, Lana could not allow herself to think about it. That particular knife plunged too deeply into her soul. Shaking her head, Lana turned away from the scene before her and blinked back the tears that scalded her eyes.

"I don't want to eat here after all." She said to Lois Lane, who had just put their names in for dinner. "Let's go someplace else."

"Okay, but this is close to the theater and I heard that cute chef from the Food Network was running the place now..." Lois said, letting Lana grab her arm and tow her from the hotel. "We don't want to be late for the show – I've wanted to see "Wicked" forever."

Lana swallowed her tears. "I know this great little café around the corner. It always reminds me of Paris." And times before Lex, Lana thought to herself, unable to free her mind from the image of Lex and the woman in silver grey leather.

"Whatever. As long as I don't miss the opening of this show. Everyone has been weird the last couple of weeks, Chloe, you, Clark...but he's always weird." Lois replied, finally looking down at her friend. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Maybe nothing." Lana sighed. "Maybe everything." The sudden feeling of being sucked under by an overpowering tide made Lana gasp for air, even though she was on dry land. Everything or nothing, Lana could feel the world she'd constructed around herself starting to crack and shake. All she could do now was wait.


	7. Episode VS 7 Undertow

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 7 – Undertow

"_Take heed, all you seamen!" The seagulls cry 'Beware!",_

"_Set course at your peril, you strong and you brave!_

_The mermaid is singing, her song of despair!"_

_- From the margin of a ships log belonging to Captain Nathaniel O. Queen, out of Boston, 1834. _

Lori closed the door to her hotel suite behind her with a sigh. It was dark in the room, and Lori could hear the sound of the cars passing on the street below. It was inspiring, and she walked to where her guitar waited, to play a little and think before turning in. Clark Kent and his wonderful farm filled her mind, wonderful thoughts of sunset over the fields and fields of burnished golden corn. Lori had stopped herself from reading his thoughts – she wasn't ready to destroy the illusion of normalcy yet. Plus, there was a large measure of joy just in allowing Clark to slowly reveal himself to her on his own. Seeing Clark in her mind, Lori smiled, hugging her arms around herself. Getting to know him would be a wonderful surprise, just as meeting him had been. Oliver, once again, facilitated a miracle. And it was all happening so fast, Lori could barely catch her breath. It was the stuff of legends, she thought, until a harsh laugh reminded her that she was definitely not alone.

"Have a nice night with the hayseed?" Callista's voice was brutal in the serene darkness. "You aren't fooling anyone, you know."

"I'm not trying to fool anyone." Lori replied, focusing on Callista's shadowy form. "Who made you my conscience? Lex Luthor's smell is still in this room."

"Damage control." Callista turned the light on next to the couch. "Luthor thinks he knows about us, someone planted a camera in the pool area. He's been redirected for the time being, but we aren't going to be able to stay in Metropolis much longer." The dark haired girl softened. "You KNOW who made me do this, Lori. Your mother was very specific."

"We're being too obvious." Lori said, shaking her head. "We have to keep a lower profile."

"Find another hotel with a saline pool, Lorelai, and avoid interviews with nosy humans." Callista retorted, running her hands through her short spiky hair. "Luthor can dig all he wants. When he hits water, he'll stop. I'll make sure of that."

Chloe frowned as she rewound her recorder. After a moment, she hit play, and the voices of Lori and her friends wrapped themselves around her. Working on the interview at Lois' kitchen table, Chloe welcomed the quiet. She did her best thinking alone and felt almost homesick for the primitive confines of the Talon office at Smallville High. There was something she was missing, Chloe thought, raising the volume on her recorder. The voices of the girls in the band were typical female voices, nothing unusual, until Chloe heard what she was listening for. Quickly, she slowed the recorder and then raised the volume. She remembered the moment, because she heard her own voice, laughing a little at the previous comments. It was the bassist that had spoken, a sharp, threatening bark of a syllable that Chloe could not identify. "Has to be nothing." Chloe said aloud, as Lois and Lana came through the door.

"What's nothing?" Lois asked, dropping her bag and keys on the table. Chloe shut off her recorder and shook her head.

"Nothing, just something for an interview I'm working on. How was the play?" She asked, and Lois shrugged. Lana had waved briefly and made her way into the bathroom. The sound of the running water made Chloe think first of Oliver, but then of Morgaine's gurgling laugh. An epiphany taunted Chloe on the edge of her awareness, but it slipped away again, leaving her instead with the image of Oliver and his pride over the new bull calf at the Kents, as if he'd actually given birth to the little creature.

"It was good. I could kill Lucy. She called halfway through the first act and I couldn't get her off the phone until intermission." Lois slid into the chair next to Chloe and looked at her notes. "Syren, huh? I have their cd. You got to interview them today?"

"Um yeah." Chloe bit her lip. "Do you have the cd here? I left my copy in Metropolis."

"Sure." Lois got up again and plucked the jewel case from the shelf. Chloe took it and opened the case, pulling out the liner notes, studying them carefully. "What are you looking for?

"I don't know." Chloe frowned. "I mean, I'll know when I find it. Lois, what do you know about mermaids?"

"Mermaids?" Lois blinked in surprise. "What does anyone know about them? They're just pretty fairy tale characters that sing and fall in love with princes they can't have."

"They lured sailors to their death on sharp rocks with their singing." Lana's voice from the bathroom door made both Chloe and Lois look up. It was obvious she'd been crying. "They could grant wishes and were magical, why?" Distracted from whatever was making her miserable, Lana walked to the table and sat down with her friends.

"This band, Syren. They have a whole mermaid thing going on, part of their whole theme and yet when I went to their show, the audience was mostly female." Chloe looked up. "I'm writing the interview for The Planet, and I'm looking for a hook."

"How about that there isn't an ugly one in the group. I hate show business." Lois looked at the picture on the cd case. "They're all gorgeous."

"All the more reason why I'd have thought more guys would have been there. Their lyrics aren't radically feminist, either. But there were four women for every one guy in the audience the other night." Chloe shrugged, laughing at herself. "I mean, it's not like they're REALLY mermaids, right?" But something clicked into place, and Chloe looked at her watch. Nearly midnight. Clark would still be up. "I have to go."

"Yeah, me too." Lana had risen as well, her face dark and troubled. "Drop me at Lex's?"

"Sure. I'll be back later, Lois." Chloe gestured to the table. "Just leave everything right where it is."

"I'm going to bed." Lois stretched, getting up out of her chair. "Gonna dream of witches and mermaids."

Clark was up in the barn loft, getting ready to get some sleep. He had no great desire to be in the house, even though it was empty. Thinking of Chloe with Oliver was not the easiest thing to do, now that Lori had gone back to Metropolis, Clark sighed, rolling onto his side, thumping the pillow hard. Things didn't need to be this complicated, Clark groaned to himself, closing his eyes. When Lori was around, though, Clark had a very hard time thinking of anything else, and even now he could perfectly visualize her face and hear her voice. There was something about her, Clark smiled, and he was willing to find out what that could be. The house was empty now because Oliver had been called to Metropolis; a potential deal was threatening to fall apart and needed his immediate attention. That had been quite a while ago, but Clark was very surprised to hear a car pull into the yard. He stood up, and looked out the loft window. Chloe stood there, looking up the barn. She was pooled in moonlight, and when she saw him, she waved. Clark always thought of Chloe as pretty, but now, there was something about her, something he had to struggle to define. In the moonlight, looking up at him, Chloe was nearly impossible to resist.

"I'll be right down." Clark said, and Chloe smiled, nodding. She cast a cautious look toward the house, and Clark found himself surprised that Oliver hadn't told her he had gone to Metropolis. The urge to grab her up had vanished with that little unconscious gesture on her part, reminding Clark of her decision. In less than a second, Clark was next to Chloe in the yard. "He's in Metropolis, Chloe."

"Clark." Chloe ignored his comment about Oliver. "How do you feel right now?"

"Fine." He frowned. "Why?"

"Do you feel infatuated, or anything? Any thoughts of Lori?" Chloe peered up into his face searchingly. "Can't stop thinking about her, wanting to kill yourself getting to her?"

"Chloe, what's going on? You were the one that said we were just friends…" He put his hands on her shoulders. "You and Oliver…."

"Not the point." Chloe bit her lip, looking into Clark's eyes. "Answer me."

"About Lori?" Clark asked shyly, and Chloe nodded. "I like her, yes. But I'm not…"

"This isn't eighth grade, Clark, so I'll interpret that as stronger than it sounds." Chloe shook her head, ignoring the unwelcome sting his lukewarm admission caused. "I have a theory."

"Okay." Clark took his hands from her and folded his arms. "What is it?"

"Mermaids." Chloe began, and then paused, waiting for Clark to argue or laugh at her. When he didn't, she continued. "I think you are bewitched or bedazzled, or whatever they do. I think Lori and her whole band are mermaids."

"You think Lori is a mermaid." Clark nodded, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Chloe…"

"I can't believe this." Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Skepticism from Zaphod Beeblebrox. Wonderful."

Chastened, Clark sighed, regretting ever buying Chloe "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" for her last birthday. "Chloe, it's kind of a wild theory. What proof do you have?"

"None, well, nothing concrete, but Clark, the audience was full of women, no men. I feel strange around them, like I can do anything, everything is fun and everything that mattered before is no big deal. It's like they are sending out a different vibe – empowering women, but they can still enchant men." Chloe looked down. "Except Oliver."

"What?" Clark asked, and Chloe looked up. "What about Oliver?"

"They didn't enchant him. " She bit her lip, thinking.

"No, I think you did a good enough job of that on your own." Clark laughed, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "Maybe you're the mermaid, Chloe." Her hair was soft and silky, and Clark found himself not wanting to stop touching it.

Chloe smiled, pushing his hands away. "Mock me at your peril, Kent. The more I think of it, the more I'm sure I'm right. Wait. Maybe that's it.' She eyed Clark thoughtfully. "Oliver is enchanted with me, you say?"

"Hello..?" Clark laughed. "Were you here today, Chloe?" Feeling embarrassed, he closed his eyes. "Oliver's got it pretty bad."

"You noticed that, huh?" Chloe smiled, teasing. She thought about that for a moment. "What if they lose their ability to enchant someone if their victim has feelings for someone else?"

"Oliver said he and Lori never were an item. He said that he met her when she was young. He'd been in a boat wreck and she'd saved him, jumped off a friend's yacht or something to do it. Maybe she was fifteen or sixteen." Clark told her. He leaned against her car, thinking. "Kind of a mermaid thing to do, though. Saving someone from drowning."

"Right. I was actually thinking it was like you and Lex." Chloe replied. "Except she didn't jump from a friends boat. She was already in the water. God! Oliver, you are a stinker. What a crappy lie."

"Actually." Clark was smiling, making a simple defense of his new friend to his oldest friend with one sentence. "How many crappy lies have you told for me?"

Chloe's cell phone rang before she could answer Clark, but she gave him a remorseful smile. "Hello?"

"Hey Goldilocks, what are you still doing up?" Oliver's voice made Chloe smile wider. "I was planning to ask you if you were dreaming about me."

"Ha." Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "I was talking about you."

"Hmm." Oliver grunted. "Really?"

'Yes, really. Where are you? Clark said you're not here." Chloe asked, and Oliver laughed.

"Oh, man. I hear about things like this all the time and now I'm not around when it happens to me." He groaned mock tragically and Chloe laughed too. "Had a deal almost fall through, had to come up to Metropolis and work it out. I'm on my way back now. Don't be there when I get back, though. Go home."

"Home?" Chloe looked over her shoulder at Clark. "Why?"

"I won't be responsible for what happens to you when I get there. I am only human, you know." Oliver teased. "Besides, it's late."

"I just came by to talk to Clark about something…" Chloe hesitated, wondering if she should ask Oliver, and then decided she would. "About Lori."

"Ah," Chloe heard his tone change, and wished she hadn't said anything at all. "Lori."

"Oliver, it's not what you are thinking…" Chloe began, and Oliver sighed, fatigued.

"No, the deal I had to go back and handle…was about Lori." Oliver looked at the clock in his rental car. "I'm an hour and a half from Smallville. Sit tight with Clark. I want to talk to you both about this." Mercurially, Oliver's tone changed again a comical predatory growl that Chloe couldn't help but laugh at. "So, what ARE you wearing?"

"Oliver…" Chloe grinned. "See you later." She hung up, and caught Clark trying to not eavesdrop. Realizing he'd been caught, Clark straightened up and did his best imitation of Jonathan Kent.

"Chloe, about Oliver…do you really think it's right for him to talk to you that way?" Clark asked, his courage wavering as she fixed him with a hard glare. He swallowed. "Sorry."

"Yes, you should be." Chloe grinned. "Eavesdropping. How rude." Seeing Clark looking uncomfortable was very, very satisfying, Chloe thought. I should have found a boyfriend a long time ago.

"So, um, Oliver wants to talk to us about Lori?" Clark asked. Since he'd been caught, there was no sense hiding what he'd heard. "Is she okay?"

"He said it was a business deal. But you could call her. I can't listen in…" Chloe laughed, biting her lip. She stooped down to pet Shelby, who'd ambled out and sat beside her. "Shelby and I will go visit Oliver's calf."

"Lex!" Lana burst into the study, after seeing the lights on from outside. She looked around the room, and stopped, placing her hands on her hips as Lex emerged from his wine cellar holding a bottle. He smiled warmly, but there was a warning in his voice.

"Well, all that time spent with Clark did rub off a little. You sounded just like him." Lex said, brushing Lana's cheek with a kiss. When she didn't lean into his kiss, Lex stood back, looking surprised. "What did I do now? I promise, I've taken a sabbatical from crushing the economies of third world countries, I don't have the smallest urge to kick any puppies, and I might even help an old lady across the street tomorrow." He walked to the bar and set the bottle down, occupying himself with finding a corkscrew.

"I saw you." Lana said, her words coming in gasps. "I saw you with that woman in the hotel bar tonight."

"What were you doing at the Metropolis Grand?" Lex asked neutrally. "Oh, that's right, girls night out with Lois. How was the play?"

'I don't know, Lex. I didn't really pay attention." Lana retorted, her foot tapping on the floor. "Who was she?"

"She? Oh, you mean Callista?" Lex's tone recalled his father, and it made him wince inside. "Lana." He set the corkscrew down and walked to her, his hands in his pockets. "She's in a band, and I was talking to her about getting her group better management and a contract with a larger record label. There was nothing going on, I promise." _But there could be_, Lex recognized Zod's voice, dripping sarcasm and bitterness. _Such an exotic specimen and so willing.._

"Right." Lana nodded, her anger plain in her eyes. "And you were so involved that you didn't hear your phone ring?"

"My phone was on silent. I always put it on silent during meetings." Lex took her hands in his. "Lana? You can't think I'd be interested in anyone else?"_ Indeed._ Zod crooned in Lex's mind, _When you are so demanding and insubordinate?_

"I know what I saw." Lana looked up at him, curiously. "I'm starting to trust what I see, Lex. It doesn't lie to me."

"After what we have been through together, Lana? I'd never play with your emotions that way." _Kill you, maybe_, Lex heard Zod's voice say, whispering in his brain. _Kill you and then watch your blood drain from your body_. "I love you."

"Love me." Lana repeated, seeming to lose her balance. She blinked twice, and then shook her head. "That's the first time you've said it, and I know I should be glad to hear it, Lex, but I have to wonder."

_Smart girl…intuition serves her well.._Zod said, but Lex pushed the words away just before he could speak them out loud. "Lana. I promise. If it ever comes to us parting ways, it won't be because I've treated you dishonorably." _Fool, get a spine._ And suddenly, Lex wondered if it wasn't Lionel's voice he had been hearing all along, and not that of the Kryptonian general. It was Lana's reluctant smile that brought him back to himself. "I only hope you can return my feelings one day."

"Lex." Lana sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Of course I love you."

_All the same, women._ Lex's worst fears were realized as Lionel and Zod's voices combined to create a new voice, the one that would forever replace the bored, elegant drawl of his father, and the coarse, primal speech of Zod. _Feed them pretty lines and diamond earrings and they will believe whatever you say. _This new voice said, and to Lex's horror it was his own. He pulled Lana to him and hugged her, his heart pounding. He had not said them aloud, but there was no denying he'd thought that, felt that.

"Lex?" Lana asked, looking up at him. "Are you okay?"

"Never better." He smiled, closing his eyes as she rested her head against his chest again. A small, interesting tid-bit of his conversation with Callista floated back to him as he soothed Lana back into the state of calm pleasantness he most appreciated in her. The lead singer, Lori, a stunning red-head, had been seen in the company of one Clark Kent. Clark always had good taste in girls, Lex thought, brushing Lana's eyelids with his lips. But he had opened this chess game aggressively, and now it would be Clark's move.

Oliver pulled into the Kent's yard and saw Chloe and Clark sitting on the porch in the moonlight, talking. Smiling, he saw Chloe laugh at something Clark said, and then realized that Clark was on the phone. Lori. Oliver had long known about Lori's curious effect on people. With little or no effort, she could endear herself to anyone, male or female. If she turned on the charm, men would throw themselves at her feet and women would despise her, but Lori had managed in a very short amount of time to get that under control. The other girls in the band, Syren had also done the same thing, except for Callista. It was because of Callista that Oliver had gone to Metropolis. Several security cameras had been vandalized, jeopardizing the band's place at the Metropolis Grand, as well as a most unwelcome offer to buy the small record label Ollie owned from an anonymous buyer. Most interestingly enough, Oliver had learned that Callista and Lex Luthor had been drinking buddies for the evening. Getting out of the car, Oliver greeted Shelby, and held a hand out to Chloe, who was coming toward him with a smile.

"Oliver." She said sleepily, falling gently against him, allowing him to embrace her. God bless human women, Oliver thought feeling her breathe in his arms. There was definitely something to be said for plain old feminine allure.

"Goldilocks." Oliver kissed the top of Chloe's head. "You're tired. You shouldn't have stayed."

"You asked me to." Chloe looked up. "Clark's talking to Lori now."

"Oh, good." Oliver nodded, yawning himself. "It was band trouble."

"Oh," Chloe said, nodding. She perked up and smiled. "Mermaid trouble."

"What?" Oliver sputtered. "Come on, Chloe…"

"It's true." Her eyes widened, and Chloe shook her head. "Wow, remind me to ask you more questions. You're too easy."

"I didn't say you were right." Oliver said, but he knew he'd been caught. "How long have you known?"

"Tonight, when I was trying to piece together my interview it came to me." Chloe pouted a little. "Sorry, Oliver. I'm best friends with an alien, and I'm a reporter. Did you think it was going to get past me?"

"I was trying so hard to distract you." Oliver kissed her over her protests. "He's on the phone, Chloe. Not paying attention.." The words were spoken softly, his lips barely leaving hers to say them, and Chloe melted against him, smiling. "Distraction is so nice…"

"You're evil, Oliver." Chloe whispered, and Oliver nodded, their faces still close enough to touch.

"Only with you, Goldilocks…"Oliver laughed, pulling her closer. "To the rest of the world, I'm a hero."

Otis replaced the security cameras, whistling in the tuneless way that always denoted his excitement. Being a security guard at the Metropolis Grand had not been his idea; it had been Mr. Luthor's. Four years ago, when Mr. Lionel Luthor had fired almost everyone from the Smallville Luthorcorp plant, young Mr. Luthor had found Otis, promised him work here and there, and eventually helped him get the job at the Metropolis Grand. All the same, Otis thought, tightening the last screw on the camera bracket, it was a great set up. He could find out information on any of the hotel guests if needed, like now. Putting cameras in the less popular saline pool here at the Grand had been his idea. When the first one was destroyed, the head of hotel security had called Otis personally to put in the new ones, authorizing a sleeker, more unobtrusive model.

"There. All done." Otis got down from the ladder and wiped his hands on his neatly pressed uniform pants. Closing the ladder, he took the camera remote from his pocket and turned it on, adjusting the angle until it faced the pool. "Now we just wait for the next Kodak moment." Otis put the remote in his pocket and smiled. Whistling again, he nodded pleasantly to the young woman who had just entered the pool area. "Evening, miss."

"Hello." She was wearing a soft looking robe and a very shy expression. "Is it okay if I use the pool?" Her long dark hair reminded Otis of melted chocolate, and her eyes were wide and soft grey.

"Oh, go ahead, don't mind me.." Otis assured her, picking up the folded ladder. "I'm just going."

"Thank you." She smiled, and Otis felt his heart start to race. "You don't have to rush on my account." She opened her robe, revealing a figure that Otis could not take his eyes from, all the 'naughty bits' as his mother used to call them, covered in an almost modest green bikini. "I don't mind the company." The robe dropped to a nearby chaise lounge.

"Ummm." Otis blushed, feeling the woman's eyes travelling over him. "You visiting Metropolis?"

"Yes." She nodded, her face innocent. "Are you a security guard?"

"I am." Otis puffed up importantly, and the girl smiled, her dark lashes slowly opening and closing over her sparkling grey eyes.

"I love men in uniform," she read his name badge. "Otis. My name is Rowan."

"Rowan…"Otis murmured, watching her lips move. "Beautiful."

"Thank you, Otis." Rowan flicked her eyes up to the expensive new cameras. "Please shut those off. I'm shy."

"Oh, I can't…I could lose my job…you wouldn't want that, would you?" Otis asked, even as his hand closed around the remote control in his pocket. "If you wanted to go out with me, I'd have no way to…."

"Oh, please? It's so late, and no one would know…" Rowan reached out and ran a finger over Otis barrel chest. "Please?"

"Okay.." Otis took the remote from his pocket and powered down the cameras. "Now, when can I see you again?" Otis rubbed his eyes. Never in his life had a woman this beautiful even given him the time of day. But here she was, Rowan, and Otis hung on her every word.

"Tomorrow night?" Rowan smiled warmly, invitingly. "Same time? I'll feel so safe if you were here."

"Right, right. Tomorrow." Otis nodded, moving toward the door. Another young woman entered, her eyes the same gleaming grey, but her hair was shocking purple, and cascaded almost to her waist. She boldly grinned at him, stepping aside as he blundered through the door. "Hello, miss.."

"Hello, Otis." Morgaine replied. "I see you've met my sister."

"Your sister." Otis dropped the ladder with a loud thud, directly on his foot. Ignoring the pain, he stared at her, stammering. "Your father must have gone crazy, trying to keep the guys away."

Morgaine laughed. "Something like that. Otis, if I asked you for the key to this pool, what would you do?" She moved against him, looping one arm around his neck. "So my sister and I could swim completely undisturbed. You understand, don't you?"

He handed her the key. "I understand, Miss. Otis is an understanding guy…"

"Good." Morgaine brushed his cheek with a kiss, pressing her breasts against him, cooing as gently as a dove. "I don't want to keep you, Otis. You have so many other very important things to do, I'm sure."

Otis straightened, a self-important smile stretching across his chubby face. "Right, very important things." He took a step back and picked up the ladder. "Gotta go patrol the hotel gardens. Very important."

"Good." Morgaine folded her arms across her chest, as Rowan watched giggling from the doorway. "Oh, and Otis?"

"Yes, miss?" Otis turned, nearly dropping the ladder again. Her face was expressionless, except for the charming hint of a smile lurking in the corner of her mouth.

"Get that foot checked out right away. I'm sure it's broken." Turning, and favoring him with a clear view of her perfect rear, Morgaine walked away with a casual wave. 'Goodnight, Otis.."

"Night, miss." Otis stumbled down the corridor, struggling with the ladder as his foot began to throb in pain.

"Oh 'Gaine…you are soo bad." Rowan laughed, covering her mouth. "Should I call the others?"

"Hey, we promised Ollie no more funny business with the cameras. He didn't say the security guards were off limits. As long as they're all male, we're fine." Morgaine pulled off the black t-shirt she'd thrown over her bathing suit and dove into the pool. She came back to the surface, smoothing back her long purple hair. "Call the others. We all need a swim before bed." She turned and dove under again, flipping a smooth, dolphin like tail in the air, sending sprinkles of water behind her. Another small camera whirred and clicked in the potted palms as Rowan finished speaking on the house phone and dove into the pool herself. The images were immediately transmitted to Lex Luthor's e-mail, and there they awaited his perusal in the morning. Lex had known what he was doing when he hired Otis, after all.

"_Shining Atlantis! What wonders you hold! _

_Be brave, me hearties, be wise and be bold!_

_The mermaid is singing of treasures untold…" - carved into a piece of ivory, found in the collection of Lionel Luthor. The reverse shows a mermaid, brushing her hair. _


	8. Episode VS 8 Fathom

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season – Episode 8 – Fathom

"_Full fathom five thy father lies;_

_Of his bones are coral made;_

_Those pearls that were his eyes:_

_Nothing of him doth fade,_

_But doth suffer a sea-change_

_Into something rich and strange._

_Sea-nymphs ring his knell:_

_Ding dong._

_Hark! I hear them – Ding-dong bell!"_

_William Shakespeare – The Tempest_

"Mr. Luthor, there's a visitor here." Lex's secretary poked her head in the door. "A young woman."

"If it's Ms. Lang, send her in." Lex said, not looking up from his computer. It was a fairly busy day, and even the half-hour or so he'd blocked off for the necessary reassuring lunch with Lana was a chore. Lex groaned slightly, rubbing his eyes, trying to shake off the effects of the computer monitor.

"It's not Ms. Lang." Callista purred from the doorway. Lex looked up, compelled by the mere sound of her speech. Clad in black leather, Callista was a oasis, and Lex was suddenly very, very thirsty. "Hi, Lex."

Lex rose, smoothing his jacket as he did so. "Callista. This is an unexpected surprise."

"I was no where near the neighborhood." Callista replied, sauntering around the office. "It all is so new, it SMELLS new…"

"There was an incident." Lex offered, making his way to Callista. "Something with the sprinklers."

"I see." She smiled, her teeth perfect, white and even. Her dark eyes were opaque. Lex could not read them at all, and he found that greatly appealing. "I haven't heard from you. I mean I know "I'll call you" is a euphemism, but we didn't even sleep together." Callista smirked tauntingly at Lex. "Oliver told us about your takeover bid. No one invited you to do that."

"And here I thought I was being a knight in shining armor." Lex said, smiling back at her, fighting the urge to throw her across his desk, strip the leather garments from her and use her harshly, roughly. Callista licked her lips, her eyes inviting.

"That's only in fairy tales, Lex. I don't deal in fairy tales. I deal in realities." Callista said, moving just out of his reach, her fingers dusting the various bric a brac on the long console table. "Who's Ms. Lang?"

"My girlfriend." Lex answered, finding the simple answer falling from his lips. "She's on her way here now, for lunch."

"Good, truth." Callista nodded. "I like truth, Lex." She pulled off her jacket, confirming the presence of clothing underneath, a silky camisole that was the identical shade of her skin. "I met your friend, Otis. He's delicious." Callista walked to a chair, aware that Lex had not taken his eyes from her since she walked in the room. "I enjoy him."

"Really?" Lex asked, jerked from his own carnal thoughts at the idea of Otis and this creature he desperately desired. "Otis…"

"I could make you believe that, couldn't I? That he'd had me." Callista laughed, brilliant, sparking and deep. "And you would find him and kill him if I asked it of you. But I'm not going to do that."

"You're not?" Lex found himself compelled to do as she asked. Even the suggestion to kill Otis brought the vision of the bleeding corpse of the portly security guard to mind. "What do you want? I'll give you anything."

_:fight her, you weak minded idiot:_ The new voice in Lex's head snapped, but there was a dull roar in Lex's ears, the ocean pounding the shore after a storm, and he ignored it willingly.

"Anything?" Callista rose, and came up close to Lex, the silk of her camisole concealing nothing. Pressing herself against him, Callista raised her lips to his. "I don't want anything now. But when I do, Lex, you will be helpless to resist me."

_:controlling you, primate:_It roared, with all the viciousness of Zod at his most venomous. She smelled of sea air, cool and bracing, and Lex could think of nothing more than to tame her, conquer her as surely as men had taken to the sea in ships.

"I want you..." Lex croaked, seizing her fiercely by the arms and bruising her mouth with a punishing kiss. Callista was slender, but surprisingly strong. She broke away, knocking Lex on to the leather sofa behind him, panting heavily.

"You will not put your hands on me unless I will it." Callista snapped, the whites disappearing from her eyes until all that remained was opaque blackness. A small gasp from the doorway made her turn. Lana Lang stood in the doorway, her face pale, her eyes filled with tears.

"Goodbye, Lex." Callista said casually, patting him on the shoulder. "See you soon." Sliding into her jacket, she stopped beside Lana and smiled. "Don't be too hard on him, Princess. He's only a man, after all."

Lana searched Callista's face. "He, you…"

"Listen, angelfish, I'm just one of his potential conquests. I want something, and I'll get it before he gets what he wants. You'd do better to get rid of him or keep him on a very short leash." Callista shook her head. "Go on. Nothing happened. He's just as unsullied and pure as he was when I got here." She passed Lana, reading the other girl's mind effortlessly and without remorse. Lana Lang was in a state of emotional turmoil that Callista remembered well from painful experience. It would make the human girl stronger eventually, but right now, it was hell. Patting Lana's shoulder sympathetically, Callista strode from the office, a small smile playing on her lips.

If bliss could be consumed, Lori was sure that ice cream was the frozen form of the emotion. She moved the cold mouthful from side to side, her eyes, closed blocking out all other stimuli. The creamy chocolate slid across her tongue and then disappeared down her throat. It was then that the thoughts of the others began to surface in her mind, like fish rising to the smooth surface of a calm sea to take in air. Oliver was alwayspleasant to read, his thoughts colorful and tinged with good humor. His thoughts were only for Chloe. Chloe was harder, and Lori forced herself to bypass reading too deeply into the other girl's mind. The only time Lori had seen into Chloe's mind, she had seen pain, grief and heartbreak. It had consumed Lori, and she broke away, desperate to never feel that again. How Chloe lived with such a heavy weight on her soul, Lori did not know, but Chloe's smile was bright and big. Clark's thoughts did not reach her, and Lori opened her eyes. There he was, sitting across from her, eating his own ice cream and discussing environmental issues with Ollie. He had not noticed the intrusion into his thoughts. No one ever did.

"Hey, you okay? This ice cream is good, but…" Chloe looked over at Lori, concerned. "You look worried. One dish of ice cream won't keep your leather pants from fitting."

Chloe laughed and Lori cast her eyes down at her dish, the ice cream melting into a delicious puddle.

"I swim, so…" She caught an odd expression on the other girls' face, and protested. "Well, it is!"

Chloe blinked. "Is what?" The question was asked in a guarded way, and Lori covered her mouth. Too reckless. I've gotten too comfortable with her, Lori realized, I have to be more careful. She looked up at Chloe, who had put her spoon down, waiting.

"Good exercise." Lori replied, dipping her spoon into the manna again. "Swimming is good exercise."

"OH." Chloe nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Got it."

"What?" Lori asked, and Chloe shook her head, taking a large spoonful of her sundae. Clark and Oliver did not hear the conversation, in fact, Lori had suddenly put it into both of their heads that the girls had not spoken at all. She hated herself for it, for breaking her promise to Oliver for using her mental powers on him, but he would understand when she explained. Even without magic.

"Just going to put swimming on my workout schedule." Chloe laughed, and Lori sighed inwardly. I've forgotten that she is not one of us, Lori told herself. If I am not careful, soon I will have to make her hate me to protect my secret. Suddenly the ice cream was not so delicious any more. It had turned to sand in her mouth.

"Have you ever heard the legends of Atantis?" Lori asked Clark later, when they were alone. Oliver and Chloe had not come out to the lake, and Lori was glad. She had not let herself be completely alone with Clark, afraid to bewitch him. However, being away from him was awful, her music suffered and so did she. It was night, and the moonlight surrounded them, casting spells and shadows of it's own on the lakeshore.

"Atlantis? Sure." Clark replied, tossing a pebble into the lake, shattering the smooth surface. "It's not real, though."

"Not real." Lori nodded, repeating his answer. "People believe it was, that it's somewhere deep in the Atlantic Ocean."

"I suppose." Clark laughed. "Why, do you?"

"Believe in Atlantis? Oh yes." She smiled, seeing her home in her mind. "Peaceful, ancient and proud. I do. And I believe the Bermuda Triangle is a portal to the Kingdom of Atlantis. That's why airplanes and ships have such a hard time navigating near it."

Clark smiled back, admiring her beauty. Unlike any other girl he'd ever seen, Clark thought, going over the last few days in his mind. It was magical, and moving fast, yes, but he didn't care. After the intensity and misery of the last year, being with Lori was a relief. Lori was looking at the lake, studying it hard. She seemed very sad all of a sudden. "What's wrong?"

"Did you ever have a secret so big that it pressed down on your soul? That you were so out of place that even telling your secret might alienate you further?" Lori asked, looking at Clark intently. "Have you ever been afraid that the people around you would treat you differently if they knew?"

"Um, well, I think everyone feels that way sometimes." Clark replied neutrally. "It's part of being alive." He knew Chloe would never tell his secret, and Clark was also sure Oliver hadn't, but all the same, to tell Lori would mean a very large leap of faith, one Clark wasn't sure he was ready to take. All the same, he was tempted, and that instinct meant a great deal to Clark.

Lori nodded, drawing her knees up under her chin, wrapping her arms around her folded legs. "I suppose."

"You have a secret?" Clark asked, his voice worried and Lori sighed. "Lori, all you have to do is tell me…"

"I…" Lori looked at Clark, and she SAW, completely unbidden. She saw into his mind, his heart and his soul. Clark was not human, or simple, or without a secret of his own. Gasping, Lori rose. There was only one way to lose her power over him and also show Clark she was worthy of his trust. "I'm going for a swim." She twirled a finger. "Turn around."

Clark rose, and turned, arms folded, rolling his eyes. Lori stepped out of her pants and panties, and shed her jacket and blouse, leaving only her green bra. Silently, she darted toward the water and disappeared under the surface with a minimal splash. Lori swam to the center of the lake before Clark could turn around, reveling in the soft, salt free water. She breached the surface, pushing her hair back from her face. Clark was standing on the little dock, looking for her. Lori laughed a little and dove again, coming up near the dock.

"Come in, Clark. The water is perfect." She waggled a crooked finger at him, and he grinned, shucking off his boots and jeans in a twinkling, his shirt in less time than that. He dove, and Lori smiled indulgently. All land creatures dove the same way, thinking themselves graceful. She swam away, staying far from his sight, but still, when Clark reached the surface, he was not that far away.

"You're right." Clark made to come closer. "The water is perfect."

"Stay right there." Lori held up a hand, keeping her fingers closed. "I have to tell you something."

"And you couldn't tell me on the beach?" Clark asked, laughing, splashing at her.

"NO." Lori shook her head, praying he'd listen and believe her. "Clark, Atlantis is real. I know. I've seen it."

"Seen it. Yeah, okay." Clark laughed. "Chloe has this weird idea about you and your friends…."

"Chloe does?" Lori asked, panicked. "What does she think?"

"That you are all mermaids." Clark replied, smiling. "That's ridicu…" His smile faded along with his words as Lori brought her tail up out of the water, a shining, gilded tail that resembled a dolphins. It flashed in the moonlight, and Clark could not control his surprised expression. "Whoa."

"I had to tell you, Clark. If I didn't, eventually I could control you, make you do what I want. Now none of the others have any power over you." Lori said sadly, swimming closer. Clark could see her eyes now, luminescent and blue, with no whites at all. "It's why Ollie can be my friend, and the girls all flock to our shows. But I'm falling in love with you, and I can't let you think I'm anything other than what I am. I also don't want to think that your interest in me is because of my powers. It would be terrible. It would break my heart."

"How?" Clark said, taking her hands in his, looking at the delicate webs between each finger, translucent panels of skin. "Were you all always…."

"Was I spawned this way?" Lori asked, drawing her hand away. "Yes. I was."

"Your parents?" Clark asked, "Are they like you?"

"Yes." Her response was simple, tinged slightly with pain. "You feel differently about me now."

"No." Clark began, but she dove, a sob remaining behind as Lori disappeared. Clark went after her and found her sitting at the bottom of the lake, glowing slightly, sitting on the wreck of old man Richards' rowboat. A small school of trout had come to surround her, bobbing in the water soothingly, her glow sending dazzles from their scales. Her face was in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Clark, glad that he could hold his breath as long as he needed to, took her in his arms and pushed her hands from her face. Lori looked up at him, her skin moon pale in the water, but he could see the pain in her eyes.

:_You see? I'm not human. I'm a freak_..: Lori's voice was soft in Clark's mind. :_I...it was tell you or go home…now I can stay, and not worry about making you feel anything for me. Ollie knew after I saved him from drowning; it's why he and I can be friends. My power over you is gone now too._:

:_You don't need to have power over me, Lori._:Clark thought, her act of faith in him a more potent love charm than any she could have dreamed up. Lori's face brightened slightly, her glow becoming more pronounced. :_I have something to tell you, too_: He pointed up, and Lori nodded, both of them swimming to the surface.

"This is kinda neat." Oliver said, sitting on the fence in the Kent's yard. "I feel like a kid."

"Why?" Chloe asked, looking up at him. They had stayed back at the farm, Oliver wanting to see the little bull that he'd helped deliver. The creature snored loudly beside his mother, but Oliver didn't want to leave. He was quite content, his arm around Chloe, looking up at the moon.

"I haven't had this much fun doing nothing for a long, long time." He replied, smiling. "Can't last forever. Eventually, I'll have to go back to Seattle. As it is, I have to fly back there at the end of the week."

"Oh." Chloe looked down. "For how long?"

"A week, maybe two." Oliver said sadly. Chloe could feel him struggling a little. "I'll be back, though. My friend Hal called today. He's been up to his…well, I just have to get back."

"Hal. You mentioned him." Chloe nodded. "He's in trouble?"

"Not trouble, but he's been looking out for things while I'm here." Oliver pulled her close. "Come with me."

"With you?" Chloe blinked. "When? For this trip?"

"For this trip, forever. Whatever." Oliver sighed. "Not a marriage proposal, not after three weeks, Goldilocks, but I don't like the idea of never seeing you again."

"I just, well, I have my whole life here, in Metropolis, in Smallville." Chloe gasped, shaking her head. "My internship, school, my dad, Lois, everything."

"The Seattle Times is willing to honor whatever internship you have with The Planet." Oliver said matter of factly. "The University of Washington – Seattle is a great school, too. Your dad is an executive. There are hundreds of tech companies out there, he could get a job with one of those, or my company. And Lois," Oliver rolled his eyes. "Well, she does have some career aspirations, right?"

"You sound like the Seattle Board of Tourism." Chloe grinned, leaning against Oliver's broad shoulder. "I can't. That doesn't mean we won't see each other again. Lois is happy in her job, and so is Dad in his. You can't move everything, Oliver."

"Long distance relationship, huh?" Oliver nodded. "That's the best you can come up with?" He kissed her head, and sighed. "Whatever you want, Chloe. I'll do whatever you want. Just think of the frequent flyer miles we'll rack up." He grinned, good humor restored. "I'll be able to take that Hawaii vacation I've always dreamed of."

"You own a house in Hawaii, don't you?" Chloe asked, and Oliver laughed.

"I do. Hmmm. What will we do with all those miles?" Oliver jumped down from the fence and drew Chloe down into his arms. "It doesn't matter, Goldilocks. Long distance it is. I prefer close up, but for you, I'll settle for what I can get."

"You're talking like someone in love." Chloe whispered, and Oliver nodded slowly, his face solemn. Chloe had never seen him this way. Even running through Metropolis for their lives, he'd been intense, but this was different. His green eyes were soft, and Chloe felt like she could lose herself in them, forget everything to be with this man forever. Just the thought struck a chord deep within her that she didn't even realize existed. And she held her breath, because neither of them had ever mentioned 'love' before.

"I know that. I'm not proud of it, either." Oliver admitted. "I'm pretty level headed about this kind of stuff usually." He grinned, and Chloe let herself breathe again. "I'm not saying more than that, Chloe. I don't want to be without you. That's got to count for something."

"It counts for a lot." Chloe smiled, hugging him. "It counts for everything."

"Good." Oliver said into her hair. "No sense rushing these things." But Chloe looked up at him and she knew. Knew in the very certain way she knew she was meant to be a reporter. He loved her. Now she needed to be sure she loved him. Oliver deserved that and Chloe was pretty sure she did too.

Lori listened as Clark told her the story of his life, and she felt the goosebumps rise up on her arms as he told her about his home planet, and what he could do. Not human. Lori's mind struggled to process this information, her heart racing. A flicker of hope raced through her soul. She could feel his warmth beside her and Lori desperately wished he'd kiss her. And although she had lost her ability to mentally control him, Clark leaned over and kissed her anyway.

"That's it? Nothing else you want to tell me?" Lori said with a relieved smile, when the kiss broke. Shehugged Clark's large button down shirt around her. "Just an alien."

"An alien from an extinct planet." Clark said, correcting her gently, playing with a lock of her red-gold hair. "I'm the last of my kind." He looked up at the stars.

"How sad." Lori sighed, collecting him in her arms. "I have so many brothers and sisters…"

"How many?" Clark asked, and Lori grinned.

"Four from my spawning, but at least twenty others." She looked up at him. "Gisela is my sister."

"Ah." Clark felt her arms tighten around him,and was amazed at how naturally she seemed to fit in his embrace. From the minute she'd confessed her secret, he'd been able to think much more clearly where she was concerned, and was glad to realize that the feelings he'd been having for Lori were legitimate and completely a surprise. Lori had a way of making him feel strong and confident, but still kept him slightly off balance - in a good way. Different than Lana, different even from Chloe, Lori occupied her own space in his heart already. "Couldn't tell. Green hair. Is that natural?"

"No." Lori laughed. "Mother was not pleased. OH! Neptune's triton! Mother!" Lori stood pulling on her jeans, her tranquil mood disturbed. "I have to get back to Metropolis."

"I'll take you back." Clark stood, and picked her up in his arms. "Hold on."

"What are you going to do?" Lori laughed, "Run there?"

"I could take the truck." Clark grinned. "But, tonight, maybe we will run."

Gisela had poured the water into the silver basin, stirring it idly with a long finger. Lori would have a world of explaining to do, but that was her business. Gisela never questioned her older sister's judgment, and she wasn't going to start today. All the same, it wasn't like Lori to miss conversations with their mother, and Gisela suspected this new guy had something to do with it. Sitting and dreaming, Gisela did not hear the door open and the low pitched sound of men's voices. What woke her from her reverie was the blood curdling screech from Rowan and Morgaine's room. Running, Gisela picked up a small dagger from her nightstand and hurtled through the door. Four men stood in the hallway, tying the hands of the twins and stuffing their mouths with gags. Another shot them both with a tranquilizer gun, and the twins dropped limply to the ground.

"Unhand them, vandals." Gisela intoned, forgetting herself and speaking in Atlantean. "Your actions bring dishonor upon you all."

"Hey look, a foreign one." One of the kidnappers said, approaching. "Give me the knife, girlie and we won't hurt you or your pretty friends."

"You do not know what you are dealing with." Gisela said, in English, still intimidating. She brandished the knife, and heard Callista behind her fighting off two others with her double bladed staff. "We are daughters of the royal house…"

"Run! Gisela! Run!" Callista called in Atlantean. "Find Lori and tell her to stay away!" Gisela nodded, and threw her dagger, where it landed in the arm of one of the attackers. She turned and fled, her bare feet pounding on the floor. Rough hands grabbed her by the hair and jerked her down to the floor.

"Oh, pretty." The man who had received the dagger in the shoulder grinned at her dangerously. "Good with those blades, I'll tell you. But I'm better." He had the knife she had thrown at him in his hand.

"Not as good as I am with this." Callista snarled, her eyes opaque and black, her mouth stained with blood. She stepped out of the doorway, swinging her bladed staff. "Let her go." There was a quick hiss, and Callista fell to the floor, a tranquilizer dart in her left shoulder. Gisela tried to sing, but the man who held her pulled her by her long hair, making the tears flow, the song transformed into a yelp of pain. There was no song Gisela could sing to free herself and the others.

Another man came from the doorway, carrying a large book that Gisela recognized as one of Lori's. "This manuscript is 1,000 years old." He said, marveling. "It's in pristine condition. Looking Gisela over, the man nodded. "And how old are you?"

"By your calendar, seventeen." Gisela replied innocently. "Please, don't hurt us…"

"I'm not going to hurt you, dear. Two of my men are going to have a time explaining shark bites to the emergency room doctor, but I think we can all get along just fine." The man closed the book. "I'm Dr. Starke. I run Cadmus Labs. You're going to be staying with us awhile."

Gisela struggled, and spoke again in Atlantean, to the salt water fish in the tanks around the room. They in turn began to speak to each other, and to the others around the hotel. The warning and distress call had been sent.

Later, Dr. Starke met his guest at the door of the lab, wringing his hands. The girls had been submerged, and they had, as predicted reverted to their natural form, but they were not rallying from the tranquilizer as he'd hoped. One, the green haired one, wept at the bottom of her tank and another, dark haired and vicious had awakened violently angry. She'd been housed in a tank that had been designed for a great white shark when they were studying the effects of the green meteor rock on shark intelligence, but she had dismantled the ladder in an attempt to break through the pressure door.

"Mr. Luthor." Dr. Starke wiped his forehead with a fresh white handkerchief. "Your, eh, guests aren't quite responding to their new arrangements as well as we'd hoped. The twins are barely registering blood pressures in the lower end of normal for marine mammals, and their heart rates are virtually non-existent. The youngest one is unresponsive and only speaks to herself. But the one that worries me is the dark haired one. See for yourself." Starke flipped a switch and a monitor buzzed to life. Callista swam in angry circles, her beautiful face set in lines of rage Lex did not think possible. Her hands trailed blood behind her in the water, and Lex watched as the dorsal fin on the lower end of her tail breached the surface of the water. "She's been circling like that since she came out of the tranquilizer. It passed through her bloodstream unusually fast, and she nearly destroyed theiron ladders, trying to escape."

"Take me down." Lex said, his voice flat. Dr. Starke began to protest, and Lex turned to stare at the scientist coldly. "Dr. Starke, I don't expect to have to ask twice."

"No, no, Mr. Luthor, it's not that. I'll take you down, but I have to tell you, any increased agitation can't be good for them." Dr. Starke informed him. "If you are going to visit, I suggest you keep it short."

Lex nodded and followed the doctor down the stairs to where Callista's tank stood. The mermaid was definitely more terrifyingly beautifulin appearance thanLex could have imagined, her skin corpse pale and her eyes a relentless shining black. She stared at him balefully through the glass as she swam.

"Hello, Callista. I have to say, this is a very good look for you." Lex quipped, as Callista swam up to the glass and snarled at him. " I'm glad that glass is as thick as it is." He tapped on it and then pulled his hand back apologetically as she lunged toward him. "Oh that's right, your kind doesn't like that. Forgive me."

:_Let the others go, Lex. If this is between you and I, let's keep it that way:_

Callista's voice wound itself through his mind, slinky and seductive. :_They're innocent:_

"Innocent? The twins seduced a trusted employee to force him to ignore my explicit instructions. The younger one and her sister, your singer, are innocent, I'll grant you that, but they have a value all their own. And you," He reached up to touch the glass where her face was. "You, Callista, are simply too dangerous to release. Once I let you out, well there's just no telling what you'll do. Like try to give my girlfriend ideas of leaving me, for starters."

_:You have no idea what you are playing with, Lex:_ Callista warned. _:You really don't:_

"That's what I want to find out, Callista. What exactly are you? Because I don't believe in fairy tales. Like you, I deal in realities." Lex smiled and Callista found her blood running very cold. In all of her years of fighting to defend her people and her world, never had she met such a one as Lex Luthor. Disgust plain on her pretty face, Callista swam away to the far corner of the tank, her mind a tangle of black and inky thoughts. His mind was a snarl worse than old fishing line, sharp and fatal.

Lex watched her swim away and then turned to look at the empty tank across from hers. This would be Lori's tank, one where he would study her ability to send subliminal messages through her songs. It had been discovered accidentally something Lex began to look into after Otis first brought the video of Callista to his attention. Remembering his mother's bedtime stories, Lex had Syren's cd analyzed. The reports were amazing, and Lex knew this ability had an application. Damn Oliver Queen for being so involved with this band that he didn't sell the crappy little label they recorded under. Lex was sure Queen knew and was too much of a boy scout to use the power these girls had to his advantage. I won't make that same mistake, Lex thought, walking up the metal stairs.

"Something is wrong." Lori said to Clark as they entered the lobby of the Metropolis Grand, moments after they had left Crater Lake. She walked to the large salt water tank in the lobby and pressed her face against the glass.

"Please, Miss Lemaris, the tank people have been called. You'd best stay away from the glass." One of the bell boys said, putting his hand on Lori's shoulder. "No sense agitating them more."

"Oh, right, of course." Lori looked at the tank and whispered to the fish. Immediately they seemed to calm down and Clark leaned over to talk into her ear.

"What's wrong?" He asked, and Lori shook her head,leaning back against him slightly.

:_They've been kidnapped, Clark. My sister and the others. We have to find them. The existence of Atlantis depends on it._:

"Come on," Clark said,putting his arm around her as he looked around the lobby. "Let's get back to Smallville. Oliver may have some ideas."

Lori nodded mutely, and grasped Clark's hand, allowing her to lead him from the hotel. Neither of them noticed the chubby security guard who had watched their every move, and heard Clark's words as clearly as if Clark had been standing beside him. Otis smiled and took out his cell phone, dialing a number he knew extremely well.

"Mr. Luthor, I spotted the one you're looking for. She's with the guy you described. They're on their way back to Smallville." Otis nodded. "Yes, I heard it clear as a bell. And, Mr. Luthor, the fish in the tank she touched? All of them are calm now, acting normally again. It's like a miracle."

From his car, Lex nodded hearing this news. "Otis, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that. Look for a bonus tomorrow. Come to my office in the morning." Lex hung up the phone and turned his car toward Smallville.


	9. Episode VS 9 Leviathan

Smallville Virtual Season Episode 9- Leviathan

"Days there are, nonetheless, when he lies 

_Like an angel, although a lost angel_

_On the wastes unease, no eye of man moving,_

_Bird hovering, fish flashing, creature whatever_

_Who after him came to herit earth's emptiness._

_Froth at flanks seething soothes to stillness, _

_Waits; with one eye he watches_

_Dark of night sinking last, with one eye dayrise…"_

_Leviathan – W.S. Merwin_

'_He says he loves me…after everything we've been through, it's still like the Lex I loved is gone somehow.."_

Callista fell back against the wall of her tank with a deep gasp. Never before had she been able to witness anything in someone's mind from so great a distance. It was only glimpse, but she had seen into the mind of Lex's little human girlfriend, Lana. It was encouraging. She'd only been in the tank a short while, but whatever chemical was being pumped through the water had amped up her psychic abilities. She could read Dr. Starke from here, and had been having fun playing with the minds of two or three of the others. It was a good test, and one Callista needed to make sure she could pull off flawlessly if she was going to try to escape.

Swimming to the surface, Callista startled Dr. Starke as he was recording the latest set of readings from the monitors that recorded her heart rate, water temperature, etc.

"Oh, Callista." He stammered, taking off his glasses to wipe away the water on them. "How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm okay." Callista replied sweetly. "How are my friends?"

"The twins have come out of the tranquilizer and they seem just fine. Right now they're in a tank with other fish…" Dr. Starke put his glasses back on in time to see Callista's disgusted expression. "Sorry, you are all mammals, I know…"

"Hmm" She replied, sinking under the surface again. She looked across at the tank that was now meant for Lori. Odd that theirs were separated from the others by so much. Callista came to the surface again. Dr. Starke was still there, fidgeting with dials and controls, as well as occasionally writing notes on his clipboard.

"Why can't I see the others? Gisela is so young. I'm sure she's quite scared." Callista said, again startling the doctor. He turned, nearly slipping on the wet floor around the tank. She could see that he was afraid to get too close, and Callista could appreciate that. It was a mark of his intelligence, really. Who would want to get close to an angry shark? They'd have to be insane. Even a 4 year old mer-child knew that, especially the ones like Callista, the reef and cold water dwellers.

"I can't let you near her." Dr. Starke shook his head sadly. "She's sick. Won't eat. Just keeps singing, over and over. We can't identify the language, but one of my IT people is from Ireland and he says it sounds like Gaelic."

"Really?" Callista raised an eyebrow. Of course it sounded like Gaelic, she laughed inwardly. People from Atlantis fled to every corner of the globe. Every seaport town in the world had several descendants of Atlantean refugees as part of their populations and didn't even know it. Humans were tremendously blind to the world around them. "I know I could help her if I could only speak to her."

Dr. Starke felt himself waver. "You're trying to manipulate me." He said blankly and Callista waved a webbed hand.

"Nonsense. If I wanted to manipulate you, Doctor, you'd never know it. I'm just asking nicely." She swam to the side of the tank he was standing on and hoisted herself up a little. Dr. Starke jumped onto the steps and Callista laughed. "I won't hurt you, either, Doctor. After all, it's bad manners to bite the hand that feeds you."

"I suppose we could get you a way to communicate with Gisela, since she's so badly off and so isolated. We're afraid to put any other marine life in her tank, in case she's contagious."

"Heartbreak isn't contagious, Doctor. She's young, alone and with no hope of seeing her home again." Callista scoffed, and then she shook her head. "We're just like you. We have families and lives. You're kidnapping us. I hope you can live with yourself."

"I'm starting to wonder." Dr. Starke agreed, taking a long hard look at the mermaid before him. "My daughter…."

"I know." Callista shrugged and then she said, before diving under again. "You could have saved her, you know. Without selling your soul to Lex Luthor. And look where it's gotten you, for all of your trouble."

"I guess so." Dr. Starke nodded solemnly, turning the dial on a control panel, releasing more of the green meteor rock radiation into Callista's tank. "But now my soul is his, and my ex-wife is moving my daughter across country."

Clark and Oliver returned to the hotel suite, Chloe and Lori tagging along. Oliver had called housekeeping and hotel security as soon as Lori and Clark had gotten to Smallville, instructed them to leave the room as it was. All the same, Oliver thought, it was odd that hotel security had not been alerted _before_ his phone call, because the suite was trashed. Some cranky neighbor in the next suite had to have heard something, but, not one complaint. It was odd, and Oliver was stumped. Clark was carefully x-raying the room, for any clue at all, and Chloe had gone to talk to the staff. Lori was scanning the room herself, desperate for any sign of her sister, Gisela. Oliver saw Lori kneel next to a blotch of dried blood on the carpet. She placed her fingers to it, and shook her head.

"Human." She said, simply, no longer caring who heard or who knew. Rising, Lori cocked her head, and threw the suite door open. Persephone was there, locked in a deep embrace with a tall, wild looking man Lori recognized as the lead singer of the band they had been touring with. Breaking the kiss, Persephone grinned at Lori wickedly. The man, obviously completely enchanted, panted after her eagerly, but Persephone just patted his cheek absently.

"Hi, coz, have a good night?" The self satisfied smirk vanished as Persephone looked over Lori's shoulder. "What happened? Where is everyone?"

"Good question." Oliver said, taking Persephone by the hand and pulling her into the room. The other man began to protest, but Oliver eyed him coldly. "Jake, get gone. Now. You guys have a studio date today."

"Um, right, Mr. Queen." Jake said, shaking his head, blinking. He waved at Persephone. "Call you later, Perse…"

"Okay, baby." She grinned, blowing Jake a rather prolonged kiss. "Bye…"

Lori slammed the door and turned, all the color leeching from her face, and her eyes widening. They glittered dangerously blue, and Persephone waved a hand dismissively at her cousin, undaunted. Oliver groaned. This was not going to be pretty, and Clark came to the living room, silently observing.

"Oh come on...you and your cattle farmer…" Persephone began gesturing to Clark, and then, as Lori seemed to grow bigger and more fierce, began to speak in rapid Atlantean, defending herself and her actions. Oliver could not follow the conversation, and it was just as well. Persephone was pleading now, that much was clear, but Lori, no, _LORELAI_ was not softening.

"It does not matter what you THINK." Lori spat, her speech wild and vowels flavored with an accent Oliver could only assume was Atlantean. "You were supposed to be here, with them. You were supposed to sound an alarm. Callista could not hold off the human attackers alone, she needed you. It is clear you were NOT thinking, Persephone. They're gone. All of them." Lorelai wailed, her hands going to her face. "I should have been here…it was wrong to leave." Suddenly, Lori was herself again. Persephone reached out and Lori allowed her cousin to embrace her, both girls sobbing.

"I found some…" Chloe entered the room, and stopped, nonplussed at the sight of the mermaids weeping in the center of the room, as well as the sight of the two men awkwardly balanced on either side of the room, helpless. "Did I miss something? How did Persephone get away?"

"Long story." Oliver said, clearing his throat. "What did you find, Chloe?"

"Well, we know security has no record of any kind of complaints, but a guard was on duty up here earlier." Chloe began, looking over her notes. The duty log was recorded for the patrol of this floor, and it was two hours before Lori and Clark were back here at the Grand."

"So, it had to have happened after the patrol." Clark nodded. "If the guard had seen the mess, or stumbled across the kidnappers…"

"They would have either stopped it or set off an alarm or something. " Oliver finished. "Okay, so we're working with a two hour window." He looked over at Lori.

"Have you had any sign of any of them?"

"I can't _feel _them, no." She shuddered. "It's like they've just evaporated." She looked at her cousin. "Can you, Persephone?"

"No." The other mermaid shook her head, frowning. "They're being blocked. That's what it is. Electrical interference. Someone knows." Persephone looked at Oliver. "And they've figured out how to keep us from communicating with each other."

Dr. Starke stopped at Gisela's tank and looked in. The girl had not eaten anything, apples and vegetables floated on the surface like colorful buoys. She, however, sat at the bottom of her tank, her long green hair floating in the water like kelp. He rested his head against the glass, sighing. Gisela saw him, and drifted upwards until she was eye level with Dr. Starke. More so than the others, Dr. Starke felt his heart break seeing Gisela. Even in human form, the girl was more innocent and sweet than the others, more like the mermaid dolls his daughter had played with as a little girl. Her eyes, huge, green and melancholy, tore at him, and she placed one long, white hand on the glass, just on the other side of where his own rested.

"I'm sorry, Princess. I am." Dr. Starke said, and Gisela nodded sadly. "Your friends are all worried about you, you know. Callista almost had me convinced to let you come to be with her." Gisela seemed to brighten, and then her shoulders heaved. "You know I can't do that. I'd let you go be with the twins first, but their tank isn't big enough." Gisela nodded in reply to this. "But if you eat, I can lower the resonance field for a little while, let you all talk to each other."

:_Nod and don't let him know you can hear me..: _Gisela heard Callista say in her mind, her voice soft and urgent. _:Do it, and I can get help. Once he lowers the field, I can let Lori and Oliver know where we are. And eat, angelfish. We're going to need all of our strength..:_ Gisela nodded to Dr. Starke and then swam up to snatch a green apple from the surface. She gestured toward him with it, and took a large bite, smiling.

"Good girl." Dr. Starke smiled back, and took out his radio. "Shut off the resonance field."

"Are you sure, Doctor?" the reply came back quickly. "We don't know what they can do to the glass. What if they can…"

"Just do it." Starke snapped, looking at Gisela, who'd stopped eating her apple to watch him. "Bring it back up if you notice frequency levels rise in the tanks or they start to sing."

"So, I think we need to talk to the security guard who patrolled this floor." Chloe said, looking at Oliver. "Otis."

"Otis?" Persephone gasped. "The chubby little man who gave Morgaine the key to the salt water pool?"

"Oh, great." Oliver turned to glare at Persephone. "What happened to 'we will be normal, Ollie.'? What did you girls do?"

"We were." Persephone smiled sadly. "Mermaid normal." She shrugged. "Morgaine said it was better to charm the keys from him than to break another set of cameras."

"Morgaine said?" Lori folded her arms across her chest. "Morgaine, the one that races in the East Australian Current every season? Morgaine, the one that dives the wrecks and is always, always in trouble? That one?"

"I don't like your tone, Lorelai." Persephone retorted. "No one hurt him."

"Well, you gave him reason to hurt you." Clark interjected. "Chloe, can you find out about Otis?"

Chloe laughed, setting her laptop on the table "Already on it. " She opened it, and both mermaids gravitated toward the computer. "I'll just pull up his employee record and go from there…" After a few minutes, Chloe looked up, her face a swirl of emotions. "You'll never guess where Otis worked BEFORE the Metropolis Grand."

"The Gotham Grand." Oliver said, half joking, and Chloe shook her head.

"No, that would be simple. Otis is a former LuthorCorp employee." She looked at Clark. "I don't think I'm the only one that finds that even slightly suspicious." Oliver and Clark looked at each other as awareness dawned on them.

"Lex." Clark said, looking at Chloe. "But why?"

Oliver cleared his throat. "Lex did offer to buy my label, and the band's contracts. At first, Callista and I thought it was because of his interest in her, but there's more to it." He nodded to Lori. " You were right, Lori."

Clark and Chloe looked over at Lori, who sighed. "In our songs, we've been able to weave subliminal messages using our mental powers. It's never anything bad." She smiled at Clark. "Just encouraging women to be independent and not let themselves be victims, humans to care for the environment and each other, and so on."

"It's why I signed them in the first place." Oliver grinned. "Might as well agree with the agenda. My share of the sales go to my charities anyway. Callista had been working on keeping Lex off balance, but it seems like he figured it out somehow and now wants their power for himself. "

"Well, we can't let that happen." Clark said, putting his arm around Lori. "We have to go talk to Lex."

"Clark." Chloe frowned. "I don't think that's such a good idea. If he has the girls, then he's not going to let you know about it. And we still don't know how much he remembers…"

_:Lorelai..we're in a lab, someplace in Metropolis.: _Lori heard Callista in her mind, as clear as a bell. _:.Tell Ollie, and hurry. It's called Cadmus….:_ Lori looked up at Clark, and shook her head. "Callista just spoke to me. They're in a laboratory someplace in Metropolis, called Cadmus."

"Cadmus? But they've been out of commission for quite awhile." Clark said, looking over Chloe's shoulder with Oliver as she began searching for any information on the lab.

"Not as out of commission as we thought, apparently." Chloe shook her head. "I can only see that there's power going to the building, but I can't hack into their system." She sighed in frustration, and both Clark and Oliver smiled. "I'm glad you guys think this is funny."

"Finally, a firewall that stops Chloe Sullivan." Clark teased, and Chloe rolled her eyes, even as Oliver bent down to kiss her hair. "Okay, so we all go to Cadmus."

"No, WE go to Cadmus." Oliver said, pointing to himself and then Clark. "Chloe, I want you to do me a big, big favor." Chloe nodded. "I need you to stay here with Lori and Persephone and keep them out of trouble. Call my friend Hal. Tell him I need him to fly us to the Keys and he needs to get here now. Then call this number." Oliver pulled out his cell phone. "It's for the harbormaster in Key West. He's got my boat out there. We're going to need it. Ask him about the submersible that that movie crew sold him, too."

"You got it, Oliver." Chloe took Oliver's phone and copied the numbers down. "I'll start calling now." Oliver nodded and caressed Chloe's cheek gently before turning to study Lori and Clark. His eyes were sad, and Lori didn't need to read his mind to know what Oliver was thinking.

"Oliver.." Lori looked up at him helplessly. "No.." She clutched at Clark, who closed his arm around her, frowning slightly at Oliver, who was resolute.

"Lori, yes." Oliver shook his head. "You have to go home. All of you. I can't keep you safe anymore. Come on, Clark. We have to go."

"Right." Clark nodded. He turned to Lori. "We'll be back as soon as we can. Don't worry about what's coming next, Lori. One thing at a time, okay?" Lori nodded, and Clark smiled. "We'll figure it all out. I promise."

"Okay." Lori smiled in reply and reached up to kiss him. "Be careful, please."

"I will. You too. Don't answer the door. Follow Chloe's lead. She's usually right." Clark instructed. "Okay?"

"Okay." She smiled, standing on tip toe to kiss him again, rejoicing as he kissed her back. "I'll be careful."

"Goldilocks, if Lex Luthor comes sniffing around…" Oliver began, but Chloe frowned at him dismissing his concern.

'I can handle Lex." Chloe reassured him, but she looked over at Clark, lowering her voice before she spoke again. "Listen, just a tip from the care and feeding of aliens file, Oliver. Clark is badly affected by green kryptonite. It can kill him."

"I remember something about that, back when we all first met. Gotcha." Oliver nodded. "Okay, now." He kissed her deeply. "No more taking care of Clark tips. He's a big boy. And worry about me a little, will ya? **_I'm_** not bulletproof." Oliver said, resting his forehead against hers.

"I am officially worried about you very much." Chloe laughed, and Oliver kissed her again, until she stopped giggling and wrapped her arms around him. "I wish I could go with you."

"Me too. You're the prettiest hacker I know and I'm probably going to wish you were there when I'm slicing through millions of dollars of someone else's tech, but I need someone I can trust that's not male with these two. If they get irritable, put on headphones and ignore them. Trust me." Oliver squeezed Chloe tightly.

"I trust you." Chloe said, meaning more than just the advice about the headphones.

"Good, because I trust you, too." Oliver said, also meaning more than leaving her with the mermaids. And they both knew it.

Lana had been awake for hours. Nightmares of mermaids and kidnapping had kept her from really sleeping, as well as the late night realization that her quick jump to being involved with Lex had been a tremendous mistake. The nagging insecurity had bloomed in Lana's mind since her days as Zod's hostage - the thought that Lex was only with her because of his interest in Clark. It wasn't something she could talk about with anyone. Lana looked around, and realized she'd wandered into a part of the mansion she'd never seen before. It was almost antiseptic in design, cold and impersonal. The end of this corridor held a single set of double doors. Lana frowned and walked to the doors, testing the handle to see if it was unlocked. The handle gave way, and Lana walked into the room. The lights came on automatically as she entered, their dull hum the only sound in the room.

"Oh my God." Lana whispered, walking down the steps slowly, unable to process everything she was seeing. Every where she turned, images of Clark, bits of evidence from some of Clark's more dangerous misadventures appeared, and in the center of all of this, a twisted rectangle of metal that had once been a car. Hunks of meteor rock sat on museum displays, in fact the whole room had a macabre museum feel to it, and Lana felt compelled to examine everything. All of her worst insecurities were laid bare, stripped and exposed as she turned to looked at a professionally lighted wall, covered in photographs. One whole section was devoted to candid pictures taken of Lana with Clark, going as far back as freshman year of high school. Moments where Lana would have sworn she and Clark had been completely alone were captured on film forever. She also saw other pictures, Clark with Chloe, Clark with Alicia and that Kiwatchee girl he had been interested in so long ago, and then, at the end of the display, three pictures, alone. Lana walked to them and stared, her eyes wide. Clark sitting at Crater Lake with the lead singer of that band Lois liked. Whatever this room was, Lex was still adding to it. Lana could feel her stomach turn, revolted.

"They make a handsome couple, don't they?" Lex's voice was cold and Lana jumped, turning quickly to face him. He stood on the steps, looking down at her, his expression inscrutable. Lex laughed a little and walked down the steps, opening his arms. "Chloe had the wall of weird when she was at the Torch, this is my attempt at making sense of it all. It's been a work in progress for a long time, but now, I'm just adding to it here and there." He said it casually, easily, as if this room were just another of his trophy rooms, or his wine cellar. And Lana realized that's exactly what it was, a trophy room, with the prize still being unattainable. Everything that had happened came into sharp focus and Lana saw Lex clearly. And hated him.

"Do what you want with this room, Lex. I'm done. I've had enough, been through enough with you these last few weeks." Lana snapped, walking up to him. "You've been using me the whole time. To get closer to him, to…" Her eyes widened in realization and then narrowed in rage. With all of her might, Lana raised her hand and slapped Lex across the face. "You're disgusting."

Lex raised a hand to his cheek, and nodded. "You would see it that way."

"There is no other way to see it, Lex. And no, I'm not interested in hearing your very smooth explanation this time." Lana walked past him, up the stairs. "I'll be gone before breakfast."

"Lana." Lex replied, without turning around. "My feelings for you…

"Are a crock of shit, Lex." Lana laughed at him bitterly. "I've spent enough time in the Luthor circle enough to see that now." She went back down the stairs. "All I wanted was truth from you. I could have withstood anything as long as I knew you weren't lying to me. Instead, it's been lie after lie. And I thought Clark lied!" She laughed again. "The thing is, I learned why he lied, and I can't hate him for that. You, on the other hand…" She met his cold stare with a vicious glare of her own that made Lex almost proud of her. "You aren't fit to breathe the same air as Clark." Lana shook her head and walked away, up the stairs and Lex allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He'd find a way to deal with Lana later after she'd calmed down. After all, Lex thought looking around the room quickly before he headed back up the stairs, it's important to keep the collection together.

"This isn't very encouraging." Oliver said, looking out his window at the abandoned looking warehouse. "I mean, I know you said Cadmus is a 'secret' lab, but this looks like it's being kept a secret from its employees too."

Clark nodded. "Lex likes to keep things under the radar."

Oliver laughed. "Most creeps like being under the radar, Clark." He shook his head. "Let me get my gear and we'll do this." He got out and opened his trunk, and Clark laughed to himself, thinking of Chloe's arsenal in her VW bug. Oliver's trunk wasn't too far off, as Clark watched him load a heavy looking quiver with arrows that were fitted with all sorts of interesting devices.

"You think you're going to need all of that?" Clark asked, as Oliver slung the full quiver over his shoulders and then tightened the bowstring on the large and powerful looking bow he had. Oliver shrugged, concentrating on the bow. When he was done he looked over at Clark and laughed, noting the younger man's empty hands.

"Listen, Clark, when I can shoot lasers from my eyes and fly, then I'll leave the bow home. Meanwhile, I do what I can." Oliver said, grinning as he closed the trunk. He gestured with the bow. "Let's move."

Hal Jordan wasn't much of a cell phone person. Having one was a prerequisite for being friends with Oliver Queen though, Hal laughed to himself, draining his coffee mug. The ring, programmed by Oliver as a joke, now was an instant notification of who was calling. The William Tell Overture. A metallic clunk and a sharp "ow!" made Hal look up from the parts he had been working on for his plane. Tom Kalmaku, the mechanic was scowling at Hal, his dark face darker with pain and annoyance.

"Hey, get that, would you?" Tom called, looking around the hood of the engine he was working on. "You really need to put that on silent or something. Ollie and his jokes." Tom rubbed the back of his dark head and disappeared back under the hood of Hal's plane.

"Okay, okay." Hal found the phone and answered. "Ollie, I…"

"I'm sorry." A confused woman's voice replied. "Oh! He's got my phone now." She laughed. "I'm Chloe Sullivan. Oliver asked me to call you."

"Chloe Sullivan." Hal repeated. "Right, the girl Oliver met in Metropolis. Swapping phones? That's about as going steady as Ollie can handle." Hal blurted. When the girl on the other end didn't laugh, Hal apologized. "Sorry, Ms. Sullivan."

"Oh, no problem." Chloe felt her cheeks burst into flames of embarrassment, and she cleared her throat to start over. "Oliver asked me to have you fly here as soon as you can. He said he needs you to get us all to the Keys in a hurry."

"Damn him." Hal spat, tossing the rag he'd wiped his hands with on a worktable. "I needed him back here and he wants a party trip to the Keys? I swear…"

"Look," Chloe interrupted. "I know you had some important business with him back in Seattle, but he needs you here now. It's life and death. His friend Lori is in danger."

"Lori?" Hal switched the phone to the other ear. "Now you have my attention, Chloe. What's going on?"

As Chloe told Hal about the situation, he began pulling maps out of the floor to ceiling cubbies Carol had installed to store them. Finding one he wanted, Hal slid the rubber band off and opened it on the table near the shelves. He looked at his watch and then at his plane.

'Look, Chloe, my plane is being worked on, very slowly, I might add, and I have to get my hands on another. It'll take me a couple of hours for that at least. If you hear from Oliver, tell him I'm on my way. And get whoever is with you organized to go. If what you have just told me is true, we're not going to have a whole lot of time to play with."

Callista listened as Dr. Starke ordered the resonance fields returned to normal levels. It absolutely figured. Concentrating, Callista pictured the resonance field in her mind, and tried to send one last message out to whoever could hear it. Mentally, she reached out to her friends first, quietly told them her plan and said goodbye, ignoring their pleas and protests. She couldn't wait for a rescue party to come, even though she was sure Oliver and Clark were on their way. But whatever radiation they were pouring into her tank was burning her skin, making the sandpapery hide of her tail peel, and Callista was pretty sure it was killing her anyway. However, it had bequeathed her several gifts along the way, and Callista planned to use each and every one before she moved on. Closing her eyes, Callista began to send messages into the vast and great ocean of the world, the seas of the skies, where birds flew as gracefully as mantas glided across the ocean floor. She allowed herself to sink to the bottom of the tank, beyond caring who was watching as her transformation into something terrible and strange began. The message, repeated over and over, was the same, and eventually, all sea life halted, listening for something they could barely sense. Her words tickled at them, prodded until the merfolk around the world were listening, all turned toward her, seeing her in their minds. A great cry escaped the lips of all who dwelled under the sea. The protector of Atlantis, dormant for almost 300 years had begun to stir, his sleep disturbed by the distress of one of those who had been sworn to his service from the beginning of all history. Deep in the icy Atantic Ocean, a fissure formed, air escaping with a bubbling hiss. One great yellow eye peered out from the crack, half lidded with sleep and centuries of barnacles. Leviathan shifted, preparing to shake the accumulation of ages from his black body, the deep rumbling of his movements causing the oceans surface to billow.

_:Save the others. I know what I have to do. Our secret has to be preserved. What becomes of me alone is irrelevant, but they cannot discover Atlantis..:_

Clark and Oliver broke through the first door to the lab, the nondescript steel door, ignoring the cardkey swiper. When they got to the second door, Clark punched through the glass hand panel and with his heat vision, lasered the wires to open the heavy door. Oliver waited, an arrow in his bow, and when the door opened, the security guard behind it was knocked unconscious by the arrow before he even heard the twang of the bowstring. They turned and looked at each other, both suddenly feeling cold, and both imagining the weight of water crashing in over them. Time was running out. Moving quickly, they disappeared into the depths of Cadmus, looking for any sign of Gisela, Morgaine, Rowan and Callista.

Lori and Persephone wept, clinging to each other in despair, as Chloe dialed the Key West harbormaster again. Chloe kept one eye on the Weather Channel as the overly chipper announcer pointed to the swollen tropical storm that was barrelling toward the Keys and the nor'easter that was threatening the north Atlantic coast. Groaning, Chloe pressed the redial button on the phone, praying that someone would answer soon.

Arthur Curry stopped waxing his surfboard, looking out at the poisonous black clouds that cluttered the southern sky. The whispered warning made him turn west, where the sky still held the dregs of the night, bruised and purple against the pre storm crystalline blue of the east. It had been just over a year since he'd been there, but A.C. had no doubt that he needed to be in Metropolis, now.

Hal Jordan felt the landing gear kick back inside the plane, and turned it against the wind, accelerating faster than was wise for these conditions and climate, but the urgency was too great to let any more time slip by.

Lana Lang wept, sitting alone on the small dock at Crater Lake, hugging her knees to her chest as the dawn peeked over the tall trees. Her life had fallen apart, and nothing she'd ever been through had prepared her for this stunning realization. This was all her own fault. And only she could make it right. Lana stood, wiping the tears from her cheeks resolutely and stared down into the depths of the lake, seeking answers. They would come to her, she knew. But now, all she could do was cry. A sorrow much greater than any she had ever felt had gripped her, and it had nothing to do with Lex. Salt tears fell into the sweet water of the lake, and the school of fish that had comforted the mermaid just the night before, wept in the dawn with the human girl, mingling their non-saline tears with the fresh water.

Lex Luthor came back into his study and found the very new and expensive tank of tropical fish empty. When he looked down on the floor, it was littered with gem-like, desperately struggling for air, fish, all ready to die. Ignoring them, he flipped on the news, and found himself greeted with the strangest report of the morning. Several great white sharks and Wright whales had simultaneously beached themselves on the shores of several major Eastern coastal cities, and a similar phenomenon had happened in Alaska, where an entire pod of killer whales had been beached on the snowy shores of the Alaskan coast. But the oddest part of all, was that every single beached mammal and fish pointed toward Metropolis. Grabbing his jacket, Lex stalked out the door, jumping to his car to drive to the city as fast as he could. Starke had screwed up for the last time.

Coming: Episode 10 - Beacon


	10. Episode VS 10 Harbinger

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 10 – Harbinger

"_The water, like a witch's oils,_

_Burnt green and blue and white!_

_And some in dreams assured were_

_Of the Spirit that plagued us so;_

_Nine fathom deep he had followed us_

_From the land of mist and snow."_

_From "The Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge_

_Harbinger_ - _one that presages or foreshadows what is to come –Webster's Dictionary_

Lex stepped on the gas, plunging the car to extremes that would have made the German engineers who designed it tremble with fear. He drove as if his life depended on it. His night had been a series of cataclysms since Otis had called him about seeing Clark with Lorelai at the Metropolis Grand. The usually reliable snitch couldn't have been mistaken, so Lex chalked THAT off to once again letting the fact that Clark wasn't human somehow get past him. When Lex had arrived at the Kent farm ready to insinuate himself somehow into the investigation, no one was home except the Kent's dog, Shelby. The low, warning rumble of the dog's growl had been a fairly clear indication that Jonathan Kent's legacy as far as Lex was concerned was intact. Evidence of Oliver Queen in temporary residence made Lex's skin crawl. He and Oliver had dwelled on the opposite sides of the class of people known as privileged. You could count on Oliver Queen not being at an Opera benefit, though a hefty donation from the Arts Foundation he chaired would always follow any invitation with Mr. Queen's polite regrets. Never claiming to be above such frivolities, Queens interests _were_ more socially aware, an aristocratic activist, involved in more groups dedicated to illiteracy, environmentalism and so on. He and Clark were more than matched in their almost desperate need to save everything, Lex thought, smiling bitterly at the thought. Politically, Oliver Queen as a friend of the Kents only solidified Martha Kent's homespun agenda in the State Senate, and if Oliver chose, he could easily help Martha to a junior seat in the US Senate. The Kent family just always managed to step on **this** side of trouble, falling into beneficial situations.

"Not this time." Lex muttered through clenched teeth. This time, you do not win, Clark. The speedometer dropped below 90 miles and hour and Lex punched the gas down, ignoring the highway. This trip was done better and faster on the country roads where impediments like stop signs and police with ticket quotas did not matter. Besides, since Clark and company had vanished yet again, Lex had to track them down. He was going to do that from Cadmus.

'Oh, my God." Dr. Starke stared into Callista's tank, his clipboard hitting the floor with a hollow clatter. The water had become dark, murky green and he could not see her at all. Ignoring the intruder alarms (last night they had gone off because of a rat had gotten loose from one of the minor labs), Dr. Starke ran up the stairs to the observation platform, trying to look down to locate Callista. He could see a coiled mass at the bottom of the tank, and he threw the emergency switch, shutting down the radiation feed and draining the water from the tank. "Drop the resonance field!"

'Dr. Starke, we have two male intruders…" The reply came back. "Do we evacuate?"

"No. Get security on them. No evacuations until I give the signal, clear?" Dr. Starke snapped. "Now, get that field down. And get the shark specialist in here."

"Yes, sir." The gauges on Callista's tank began to move, as the radiation levels and water levels began to drop.

Dr. Starke's cell phone rang. "Hello?"

'What the hell is going on?" Lex Luthor's voice was filled with plainly obvious disgust. "Do you have any idea….I'm on my way there now, Starke, and I expect…."

"Mr. Luthor, I can't…" A pale green hand slapped the phone away from Dr. Starke's ear, and he turned, feeling his chest constrict painfully on the left side, and his left arm go completely numb. A pair of the most awful black eyes peered at him from a face he'd only ever seen in nightmares. The rest of her body was covered in sickly grey green sharkskin, with dorsal and pectoral fins protruding from her back, but the torso was that of a shapely young woman, even to the well toned legs. But this was no lovely and alluring mermaid. And the voice that issued from the mouth, filled with needlelike, razor sharp teeth, was one that he had come to look forward to hearing when he came to this tank. _Callista_.

"Forget him. I'll deal with him later." Callista said, tipping her head as Dr. Starke shrank back against the tiled wall. 'Don't like my new look, Doctor? I have to say it will make destroying you and this lab so much easier."

"What are you?" Dr. Starke stammered, and the Callista thing smiled, beautifully, viciously. Wild and dark green hair fell around her face, tangling over her shoulders as she took a step toward him. He fell back, sliding down the wall, and Dr. Starke felt his pants get very, very wet as the pain in his chest washed up into his jaw and bore down more tightly, making it hard to breathe. Nausea flooded over him and Dr. Starke resisted the urge to vomit, knowing that doing so would not relieve the unbearable tightness in his chest.

"I am one of the Guardians." She replied, her speech wildly accented, the vowels deep and resonant. "I am the last thing anyone who threatens my kind sees before they die. But I am so much more than that now. Thanks to you." She looked at the radiation gauge and then turned her terrible eyes back to the Doctor. "You shouldn't ever play with what you don't understand." She put her head back, wailing. Dr. Starke gasped, the pain in his chest more than he could bear and before he lost consciousness, the glass of Callista's tank began to crack.

Morgaine looked up, and pointed to her sister. _:The field is down. We have to go:_

_:But Callista…a Guardian loose on land is a very bad thing, Morgaine:_ Rowan said. :_We have to get her back to Atlantis. They can help her there.:_

_:We have to get Gisela out of here, and find Persephone and Lorelai. Callista knows what she's doing. The humans brought this on themselves. She's awakened the Leviathan, Rowan. You know what that means.:_ Morgaine swam to the top of her tank and hoisted herself out, shaking out her purple hair. "Come on. We have to get dry and find the others."

Rowan followed suit and soon both girls were standing on legs. "I still think this is a bad idea. One of us should go and talk her down. It's awake, but it's not loose, not yet." Rowan said reasonably. "No one deserves this."

"They all deserve this." Morgaine said, punching the gauge on their tank, smiling as the glass splintered under her hand. "Barbarians."

He came up for air and saw the lights of Metropolis as they faded against the new day. The idea of a Guardian there was one A.C. chose not to dwell on as he dove again, ignoring the questions of the fish that passed him. Their fear was justified, but A.C. had no time to console them. He heard the piercing cry, and if a Guardian was free on land, it meant that the Leviathan had been awakened after all. A.C. had never actually heard a Guardian or seen one, but he knew enough. The songs now were vengeance songs, but when it sang the song to wake the Leviathan, no land dweller would be safe on, in or near the water. And no sea life, no matter how pleasantly they had done so to this point, would suffer another day in captivity on land.

_:Oren: _Lorelai's voice filled his mind comfortingly. _:Your Majesty.:_

_:Shut up, Lori.:_ A.C. shot back. :_This isn't Atlantis. Who is the Guardian and how did it come to be in Metropolis?_:

:_Callista. She was taken prisoner and has changed form. She will not answer me.: _Lori replied. :_Persephone and I are at the Metropolis Grand. Two friends have gone to try and rescue the captives, to a lab called Cadmus.:_

_:I know Cadmus.:_ A.C. replied, remembering his last visit to Metropolis vividly. _:If you are safe, Lorelai, I will go there now.:_

_:None of us are safe, Oren.:_ Lori's soft correction made A.C. swim faster. _:Go to Cadmus. My beloved is there. You must help him subdue Callista, Oren. Don't hurt her. If we can get her home, she can be saved.:_

_:I'll do what I can.: _A.C. promised, ignoring the urban garbage that filled the river as he got closer to the city itself. Killing Callista would depend greatly on the threat she presented to Atlantis by her behavior. And that was first and foremost in A.C.'s mind.

"What is that smell?" Clark asked, gagging, as he and Oliver moved further and further into Cadmus. "It's disgusting."

Oliver sniffed, and then nodded. "Low tide. That, my friend, is what every coastal city smells when the tide goes out. Nice, huh?" Oliver sneezed twice. "My question to you is, why **does** it smell like low tide in here?" Oliver pushed open the heavy door, a small gush of water flowing over his boots. Gisela lay in a ball, her tail barely flapping in the two inch deep puddle that surrounded her. Her arms were drawn modestly over her chest, and her green hair coiled itself around her neck. The men pushed their way into the room, and Clark grabbed a white lab coat from a rack and knelt beside her, wrapping the thin cotton thing around her gently.

"I think my arm is broken." Gisela whispered. "When the field shut down, I jumped out of the tank…I hurt, Oliver.." She gasped, and Oliver snatched the jacket away, instead rubbing her tail with it. "Then the Guardian wailed and the glass broke…I think there's glass in my tail.."

"We have to get her dry, Clark. I'm betting more than her arm is broken here." He looked up at the top of the tank she'd been in. "What kind of jump did you make?"

"It doesn't matter.." Gisela grabbed Clark's hand. "Find the Guardian, Clark. If she sings and wakes up the Sentinel of Atlantis, all land dwellers will not be safe."

Oliver pulled Gisela from the water, and examined her tail. A large puncture marred the smooth greenish skin, and he looked over at Clark. "I'm not going anywhere until I get this taken care of. Go see if you can find the others."

Clark looked at Gisela, allowing his eyes to see through her skin, down through her skeletal system. "There aren't any broken bones in her, um, bottom half." He told Oliver who nodded grimly. "And the arm is fine. There's a bunch of glass in her, though, Oliver. I don't think you should move Gisela at all."

Gisela smiled at Clark gently. "I will shed some of the glass when I am able to transform. The rest I can manage with. Please. Callista has to be stopped, but don't hurt her, Clark. Hurting her will only cause the Leviathan to become angry. It's awake, and it's listening."

Clark nodded. "A Leviathan? They're real?" He asked, and Gisela shook her head.

"Not 'a' Leviathan, Clark. THE Leviathan. From the dawn of time, it has hunted the darkest water, and has been the guardian of Atlantis since it fell beneath the waves. But you must understand." Gisela sighed, shuddering as her tail began to form into legs. "If Callista does succeed in stirring it, nothing made by human hands will be safe in the water. Every ship and living creature on it will be prey for the Leviathan."

"The oil industry is having a hard enough time right now," Oliver quipped, draping the lab coat over Giselas bare legs. "The environmental damage will be catastrophic."

"I'm going." Clark stood, as Oliver helped Gisela to her feet. She limped for a moment, and then getting her balance, tied the lab coat around her hips like a sarong, the gash on her leg already appearing to have healed. She wore a green bathing suit top, and it blended with her hair. When she was sure she was covered, Gisela looked up at Oliver and Clark felt himself moved by her gentle trust in her sister's friend.

"I'm going too. Dr. Starke needs help. He's…" She looked at Clark. "He's dying. His heart, Clark. Please, lets find him. He's not a bad man."

"Let's go." Oliver said, taking Gisela's hand. They left the observation room and turned down a corridor, A piercing shriek made Clark stagger back, and Gisela steadied him with a gentle hand.

"You heard that, didn't you?" She asked, and Clark felt his balance return, and he looked down at Lori's little sister with new eyes. "Don't be shocked. We all have little talents like that." She blushed. "Sorry. I shouldn't have peeked in your mind that way."

"It's okay." Clark said. "You heal things? Is that why you weren't worried about the glass?"

"Yes. Lori's an empath, and Persephone is a beacon. The twins are sirens, and Callista is…well, a Guardian." Gisela's eyes were sad. "Whatever has become of her, Callista is beyond my abilities now."

Another shriek echoed through the hallway. Oliver turned and stared at Gisela, his hand tightening on his bow. "What the hell was that?"

"Callista." Clark and Gisela said together and Oliver shuddered.

"Let's find her and get out of here." Oliver said, turning away to continue down the hall. "I'm starting to get a world class case of the creeps."

Chloe finally got the harbormaster, who assured her that not only was Olivers yacht not ready for anyone to use it, but the only boat in all of the Keys that would be accessible would be a shrimping boat that had been docked by it's owner who had then died. She groaned, stomping her foot, but agreed. Hal had called, telling her he was on his way, but Chloe could not stop the feelings of dread that were washing over her. In a way, it reminded her of the evening she'd come looking for Clark, the night she'd figured out the mermaid secret. He'd been very, well, attentive, and Chloe had been puzzled at the time but had chalked it off to Clark being a little jealous of Oliver. But now, while she knew things were dire, Chloe also wasn't one for feeling panicky, and yet she could barely sit still. She looked at Lori, and cleared her throat. Lori turned, and Chloe was stunned to see the exact expression of fear that she felt fluttering around her own heart. She was feeling Lori's feelings and, apparently, Clark had been feeling them the other night, in his own alien way. Relieved, Chloe felt the panic dissipate, and her own ability to remain calm returned.

"Chloe?" Lori asked, rising. "What is it?"

"Tell me." Chloe laughed. "Oh, Lori. If I knew you could read minds…." Lori grinned.

"I've been trying not to. I'm sorry. I can mostly feel people's feelings, and influence their feelings. It's why I had to tell Clark. Once he knew, I couldn't influence him. Don't worry about Oliver. Hal was only kidding about Oliver not being reliable." Lori blurted, and then laughed again at Chloe's reaction. "I'm not helping, am I?"

"Yes, you are." Chloe smiled. "More than you know, and I'm glad you told me."

"Well your thoughts are your own, now." Persephone sniffed, annoyed at losing her entertainment, which had been sifting through Chloe's thoughts like photographs. There had been several that were highly entertaining, and Persephone stored them in her mind for another day.

Lori and Chloe turned, and Persephone had folded her arms over her chest, staring at the television, ignoring them. After a minute, she stood, and grabbed the small harp that Chloe had seen in the recording studio, strumming it absently as she sat again. The music was tense, impatient, and Chloe felt herself filling with those emotions. Remembering what Oliver said, Chloe pulled earbuds from her bag and plugged them into her mp3 player and sat down. Lori nodded wisely, and went back to watching television, tuning out Persephone's music.

Morgaine and Rowan made their way through the long corridor, their bare feet padding along the cold floors. They had found clothes in what looked like a laundry, slipping into the cotton pants gratefully. Rowan stopped, listening.

"Oliver is this way." She pointed, and her sister turned. The glint in Morgaine's eye was frightening, and Rowan pulled at her hand. "You are not following Callista."

"What is a Guardian without a siren?" Morgaine shook free of her sister's hand.

"She's not doing this for FUN, 'Gaine. She's doing it to save us. You can't." Rowan insisted. "Come on.."

Morgaine eyed her sister for a moment. "What if it gives you a better chance? Rowan, you have to…"

"NO." Rowan pulled on Morgaine harder. "Not without you. We go together."

"Okay." Morgaine sighed, squeezing her sister's hand. Lead on."

The broken doors and ruined security didn't bother Lex as much as one would have thought. It made him smile. Once again, Clark was where he didn't belong, and once again, Lex would have to find a way to explain away the farmer's presence. Oliver Queen was a different matter, and Lex would be glad to see the other billionaire led away in handcuffs. Sabotage and espionage charges would at least see Oliver very, very busy for awhile. The silver rental car also was a tip that they were still here. Well, well, well. Lex smiled. If nothing else, it was a chance to once again observe Clark in action. The alarms had begun to sound, and Lex's phone rang.

"What is it?" He asked and the voice on the other end of the line was not Dr. Starke.

'Hi, Lex." Callista purred. "Miss me, baby?"

"How did you get...where's Dr. Starke?" Lex asked, pushing his way through the broken doors. If Callista was free, the rest of them would surely be as well.

"Um, well, he's almost dead. Heart attack." She said sadly. "You stole his soul. Shame on you. But I still love you, Lex. My _feelings.._" Callista giggled, unable to resist dropping the hint that she had heard his confrontation with Lana. "Well, you'll see."

"Where are you?" Lex asked, hearing the alarms behind her. "You're still in the lab?"

"I had some business to take care of." Callista looked down at the dead technician at her feet. "Hide and go seek, Lex. You come seek me, but I won't be hiding. I'll be looking for you, too." She hung up and shattered the phone in her hand. "And when I find you, you will answer for this crime, Alexander Luthor."

"Oliver! Gisela!" Rowan ran to Oliver and threw her arms around his neck. "Neptune bless you!"

"Whoa, Rowan." Oliver smiled, but extracted himself from her embrace. "Glad to see you too, but we're not out of here yet." He looked over at Clark. "Okay, let's find Callista."

Gisela though, had not moved. She had simply turned toward a set of doors, her head cocked as if she were listening for something. She raised a hand as Oliver started to speak.

"In there. Someone alive…" She walked through the doors, and Clark felt a wave of nausea pass over him, painful and sudden.

"You okay, Clark?" Oliver's hand was heavy on Clark's shoulder, and Clark shook his head, trying to get the feeling to pass. He should have known; Cadmus was Lex's special baby when it came to all kinds of experiments, and Kryptonite was one of Lex's more consuming hobbies.

"I'm okay." He replied, swallowing the stream of bile that burned his throat. "Something in that room.."

Oliver eyed the door. "What is it, Clark? That kryptonite stuff?"

Clark looked at Oliver and nodded. The nausea had not passed, and Oliver looked back to the door. "Stay out here, Clark. Rowan, Morgaine, come with me. Get yourself together, Clark, and then see if you can find Callista. Don't come in this room, Clark. Got it?" Oliver said, his voice intense. "Go. I'll catch up."

"Okay." Clark nodded, moving off by himself. He could hear a flurry of conversation behind him, and turning, he saw Rowan striding purposefully toward him. She stopped three feet away and held up her hands. She smiled reassuringly her grey eyes soft and full of a kind of compassion Clark had only seen in his mother's face, or on church windows. It was an otherworldly, all encompassing pity that made tears well in Clark's eyes.

"You can't go alone, and I can't trust my sister to go with you. She's better off with Oliver and Gisela." Rowan said with gentle resolve. "I'm going to help. If I can get Callista to cooperate, both of our worlds will be saved."

As Clark and Rowan went down the hall, Oliver entered the room after Gisela, surprised at the damage around him. This tank was smashed as well, and a man in a white lab coat lie at the bottom draped in what looked like seaweed.

"Dr. Starke." Gisela gasped, hopping up into the now empty tank to kneel beside the scientist in the shallow water. "Can you hear me?"

"Princess." Dr. Starke reached up to touch Gisela's face. "I should say, Angel."

"Ssh." Gisela said softly. "I can help you, if you will let me."

"Dear girl." Dr. Starke smiled, his glasses askew on his face. "I'm beyond anyone's help. My heart.."

Gisela took his hand. "I can help you live, if you wish. I can also help you die."

"Gisela." Oliver looked at her, stunned. "You can't be saying what I think you are saying…"

"I am." She looked up at him, defiantly. "Doesn't every living creature have a choice?"

Dr. Starke laughed, coughing a little. "Poor Princess. Perhaps in your world, they do. Here, we hang on to life with both hands, afraid to let go. But my heart won't keep me going. It's okay, really."

"That's ridiculous." Oliver shouldered his bow. "Let's get you out of here."

"He has a choice." Gisela rose, holding her arms up, a small, slight barrier between the much larger man and the scientist on the floor. "Let him make it."

"God bless you, Princess." Dr. Starke gasped, and Gisela knelt beside him again. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, and then sat back on her heels, raising her hands over his chest. Speaking in Atlantean, Gisela sang, her voice low and soft, almost a lullabye, and Oliver, desperate to intervene, could not. Dr. Starke's breathing grew shallow, but more serene and eventually stopped. Gisela stopped singing, and pushed Dr. Starke's glasses from his face, closing his eyes. She kissed the man again, gently as if he were her father, and looked up at Oliver.

"Holy moly." Oliver whispered, his eyes wide. "Just like that."

"Just like that." Gisela stood, and smiled at Oliver softly. "His heart was broken and his soul destroyed. He wanted to die. Living would have been more of a torture for him. I just sang him to sleep. He did the rest himself. It was his time."

Oliver stared at her for a long minute, and then cleared his throat. "Okay. Let's go find Clark and the others." He turned, and Morgaine was watching, her grey eyes full and deep with an awareness that Oliver had never seen in the girls face before.

"You showed him mercy." She gasped, looking at her friend. "He was in your power and you allowed him to die peacefully. His crimes against us, against you were irrelevant."

"He never did more than try to understand us, in his way." Gisela said, taking Morgaine's hand. "The land-dwellers are not evil. Not all of them are, not really. Look again, my friend, and be at peace."

Morgaine nodded, and left the room behind Gisela in stunned silence. Oliver smiled and shook his head. He'd be glad to find Clark and get the hell out of here.

They swam from the crack made by The Leviathan's awakening, small black shadowlike fish, darting here and there, almost invisible in the dark water. Harbingers, as they were called by the underwater world, only ate one food, hunted one prey, and the disease they spread throughout the ocean would leave nothing but devastation in their wake. Disturbed by the shifting monster, they were desperate to feed, eager for the taste of their preferred food. Gliding by scent, they turned toward a small underwater outpost, teeth churning in their mouths. The small dome surrounding the outpost would provide almost no challenge to the onslaught of living pestilence. Falling upon the glowing dome, they tore their way through the field, causing water to crush the outpost before anyone could call for help, feasting upon the mer-folk whose mission it was to keep the Leviathan's grounds clear of any intrusion. Doom had come, and the great beast shuddered again, the pain and suffering of the Atlanteans drawing it more awake, freeing more of it's vicious bedfellows. It's dreams were fractured images of the Guardian's path, and the Leviathan groaned, the rocks that surrounded it restricting it's movements.

Slowly, it became more aware, conscious of it's surroundings. No song had been sung to return it to it's rest, there were no waiting warriors to subdue and restrain him. The slow growl of it's stomach resonated through the ocean, sending all marine life scattering away. None would dare approach, not even the majestic whales whose gentle song had kept the monster in his age long slumber. Soon enough, sharks from every corner of the world would come, waiting for the thing to rise, thirsty for their chance to glut themselves on the fruit of it's vengeance. But for now, this one spot was ominously still. The Leviathan waited.

A.C. lifted himself from the river, and strode toward the warehouse where Cadmus resided. He did not bother with looking around since the terrain was familiar. Stepping around damaged doors, the Prince of Atlantis surveyed the devastation around him.

"Gisela! Rowan!" He called, his voice echoing around him." Morgaine!" He could smell death, but there was no outward sign that any had died. The lab itself was a cursed place, A.C. thought, grimacing as he stepped over debris. A small cry made A.C. turn, and he moved toward it, stooping to push the broken machine away. A cat, half it's body shaved, darted away with a grateful mrrow, and A.C. moved on.

He could sense the cold presence of the Guardian, as she moved through the lab, a trail of destruction in her wake. A.C. reached out with his mind, until he found her. It was indeed Callista, and her thoughts were black, twisted and somehow alien. She had been infected by something that was making the transformation to Guardian more powerful somehow. His only hope was her sense of duty, that his rank would some how make Callista come back to herself.

:_Hail, Guardian: _A.C.'s felt his thoughts take on a regal tone. _:You have accomplished your mission. The Daughters of the Royal House are free. You may now stand down.:_

Callista's voice was a warm chuckle. _:Ah, the Prince. So much the stuff of fairy tales and legends that I have tears in my eyes. Tell me, Prince, what part of you do you defend today? The royal house and people of Atlantis? Or the land dwellers who never fail to harm us? They fish our seas, poison our oceans in a way that they would never abide if it were their sky….:_

A.C. paused and then turned, following the direction of Callista's message. Because he had so opened his mind, A.C. could now sense the presence of the mermaids, and the two men, one human, and one, different. A.C. smiled. There was only one person whose presence AC could identify in such a way. If Clark were here, that could only be a good thing, A.C. thought, moving down the corridor. It was then that he saw her, the Guardian, standing over a victim that A.C. could only barely force himself to defend. Lex Luthor was in an unconscious heap on the floor, and Callista turned hearing A.C. as he came around the corner.

She was indeed, the stuff of nightmares. Callista smiled, forgetting her revenge on her captor.

"Your Majesty." Callista sneered. She looked down at her feet. "I bring you a tribute, he who has taken us against our wills to this place of torment."

"I will deal with him, Callista. But you must end this. Return to your natural form and we can go home." A.C. said reasonably. "Atlantis is in danger."

"I know." Callista agreed. She kicked Lex, who groaned. "Because of HIM."

"No, Callie, because of you." A.C. corrected her. "You have called the Leviathan, and you forget what else has been unleashed with him."

Her horrible eyes grew wide. "The Harbingers."

"Yes." A.C. said, holding out a hand. "Please, come help me fight them, Callista. We must stop them and keep the Leviathan asleep, or all the world is doomed."

Lex groaned again, and fell over onto his back, coughing. Callista looked down at him, and it seemed she grew smaller, more like herself. "I cannot do that. It cannot be freed." The green sharkskin look of her skin subsided and soon, Callista looked much more like the girl Lex had been familiar with. She looked down at Lex and one glistening tear, perfect and crystalline fell from her eye. "I cannot harm him."

"He will live." A.C. said, kneeling beside the fallen billionaire. "He's been poisoned."

A.C. looked up at Callista. "He's been stung by you."

"I only grabbed him…" She looked down at her hands. "I wanted to subdue him, bring him to Atlantis for justice, and…" Callista knelt beside Lex and pulled aside his collar. A long, red open cut traced along his throat, and Callista sobbed loudly, placing her hand over the wound. "Will he really live?"

"You do not have feelings for this…" A.C. looked down at Lex. Words could not express his revulsion and his wish to end Lex here and now for what had happened between them before, but Callista was reading him, and A.C. regained his composure.

'No, not in that way.." Callista nodded solemnly as Clark and Rowan came toward them from the other end of the hall. Callista rose, and A.C. with her, as Clark spotted Lex on the ground. "Halt!" She cried, and Clark stopped, his face set in grim lines.

"What did you do to Lex?" Clark asked, and Callista hissed in reply. A.C. turned,and in a quick bark of Atlantean, silenced her. Rowan placed a restraining hand on Clark's shoulder as well, murmuring something about not being what it seemed.

'He's hurt, Clark." A.C. said, making his tone authoritative. "Lex doesn't deserve it, but he can be saved."

Clark nodded and then recognized the man standing in front of him. "A.C.?"

"Clark." A.C. held out a hand. "We really don't have time to catch up right now. Let's get Lex to some help."

Hal Jordan found his way to the Metropolis Grand and found the room number he'd been given by Oliver's friend Chloe. He knocked twice, taking off his sunglasses. Given Oliver's taste in women, Hal completely expected the door to be opened by a tan, buxom bimbo with an obnoxious giggle. However, the intelligent green eyes were the first thing Hal noticed, followed by the curved, almost hesitant smile. If this was Chloe Sullivan, than Oliver had somehow grown up in the past few weeks.

'Are you Hal?" She asked, and Hal nodded. "How do I know?"

"You called me from Ollie's phone." Hal replied. And I insulted you, of course, he thought, and she smiled, satisfied with the part of the answer he'd actually spoken.

'Chloe Sullivan, right?"

'Yes." The smile widened. "Come in." She opened the door wider to allow him to pass, and he saw the two mermaids asleep on the couch. "they're worn out."

'I can imagine.' Hal replied. "You think you girls are ready to travel?"

"I am, I guess." Chloe looked around. "Not exactly a vacation we're going on, so.."

"Have you heard from Ollie?" Hal asked, and Chloe shook her head.

"No, actually. It's been hours." She looked at her watch, and then Oliver's phone, which she held in her hand. "I hope they're all okay."

"If Ollie is with them, they will be." Hal smiled, a lopsided grin that Chloe couldn't help but return. "Don't worry about them."

The two groups reunited, with Clark carrying Lex over one shoulder, like a sack of feed corn.

'"I'm not even going to ask." Oliver said, taking in Lex's slumped form over Clark's shoulder. "Dropping him off with the police?"

"He's been hurt." A.C. replied, eyeing Oliver. "Who are you?"

"Oliver Queen." Oliver replied, matter of factly. "You just sprung out nowhere, didn't you?"

'My lord." Gisela gasped, taking A.C.'s hand in her own, and curtseying gracefully.

"Rise, Gisela." A.C. smiled. "You do me much honor." He looked over at Oliver. "You can call me A.C."

"Fine." Oliver turned to Clark. "I'm ready to end our trip to the science lab. How about you?"

Clark nodded. "That makes two of us." He readjusted Lex on his shoulder and started moving toward the exit. A.C. and the mermaids followed, the flurry of Atlantean too fast to even begin to attempt translating, but Clark was already picking up the finer points. As they left Cadmus, Oliver's cellphone began to ring, he frowned, pulling it out of his pocket.

"This isn't my phone." He said looking at it. "It's Chloe's" He rolled his eyes and answered. "Chloe Sullivan's line."

"She's cute, Ollie and way too smart for you." Hal's voice was bracing, and Oliver grinned.

"Yeah, well, I'm undeserving, what can I say? Where are you?"

"At the Metropolis Grand. I've got these girls ready to go. We'll meet you at Metropolis Municipal. I have Carol's Lear and I had to leave a pint of blood, the keys to my car to get it and a promise that I'd take her to dinner when I bring the plane back in one piece." Hal replied, "You guys all ready to go? There's some nasty weather brewing east of here and while I won't care, you might need motion sickness pills or something."

Oliver laughed. "I'll take my chances. We're on our way." He hung up, and turned to Clark, who was putting Lex into his car. "My friend Hal is here with the plane. Are we takingLex with us?"

"I have to get him to help, Oliver. I can't just leave him." Clark said, and Gisela moved to Clark's side.

'I'll go with you, then, Clark. The toxin in his bloodstream can only be cured in Atlantis. I can help him survive, but that's all." Her face was serious under the mass of green hair that spilled around it. Gisela looked down at Lex, who was sprawled in the almost non existent back seat of the sports car. "But we have to hurry."

As Hal's borrowed plane took off, loaded with its passengers, fisherman off the coast of New Foundland discovered the same thing as shrimpers in North Carolina. The nets were empty. And with a large storm brewing out to sea, that was unheard of. But not one fish, crab, lobster or shrimp were harvested, traps were empty and nets bare. The large sport fish, kingfish, swordfish and sharks circled mercilessly and the old timers whispered of witchcraft and mermaids, tying knots of protection in lengths of rope to keep the boats safe. But the experts, the captains of the fishing boats blamed the odd weather, and the increasing violence of the coastal storm season instead. It was as if all the fish had simply moved further out to sea, too far for the smaller fisherman to go, and the commercial fisherman also eyed the horizon. All those who made their living on the seas felt a tremor pass through them. Something was happening beneath the turbulent surface of the ocean, something dark, dangerous and far beyond any modern understanding.

The large tail of the Leviathan broke through the crust of ages that had gathered upon it's back, sending debris through the waves. The Guardian's voice had vanished, but the anguished cries of those lost in the Atlantean outpost forced the beast awake. The tail swung, churning the water into waves above, and the Leviathan rose, awesome in his strength and terrible to behold. Blinking, it swam toward Atlantis, following the scent of the Harbingers and looking for a meal.


	11. Episode VS 11 Atlantis

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 11- Atlantis

""_...and the unearthly lovely weep,_

_In lament of the music they make_

_In the sullen courts of sleep:..."_

_from **'Sunk Lyonesse'** by Walter de La Mare_

The order of underwater society was divided in four groups. The politically ambitious, the wealthy and the nobility lived in the ancient and regal surrounds of Poseidonis, the religious, the learned and the magi lived the cool Northern region of Lyonesse, and the young, the brave, the fortune seeking and the reckless took their chances in New Venice. The fourth major group, considered by the hoi polloi of Atlantean culture to be barbaric, lived along the fringe of that society and had no set place to call their home. They were a rough breed, hardy and tough, adapting to their rigorous environments by evolving just as their non-mammalian counterparts had. And, as every other people on Earth from the dawn of time had done, it was from this wild rabble and the poor that the military of Atlantis was formed.

The royal house of Atlantis was large, the family a small army all on their own, with branches reaching out across the continent to all of the major cities of the realm. A.C., Lorelai and Gisela were from the Poseidonis branch, all heirs to the throne. Morgaine and Rowan were of the Lyonesse branch, although their mother had been a social climber from New Venice in her day. Persephone as well, drew her roots from the chaotic and creative atmosphere of New Venice. All of them were, for their society, cultured, well bred ladies, with expectations for their future. And, then, there was Callista. Hand chosen by Lorelai's wise and protective mother, Hylde, the common born Guardian had reluctantly followed the more innocent girls on their land walking adventure, and had been the cause of it's abrupt end. Failure had not been part of their agreement, and Callista knew the price for her Callista sat on the floor of the airplane cabin, hugging her knees to her chest, steeling her inner strength and trying not to look at Lex. He shuddered and groaned, his skin coated in the saline sweat that all land bound beings shed when they perspired. The venom was not meant to be so strong or last so long, but Callista knew that was an effect of the radiation she'd been infused with. She looked up and around at the others. Morgaine and Rowan were asleep, Persephone tracing circles on the oval window, and Lori deep in conversation with his Highness, Prince Oren (Callista could never allow herself to think of him familiarly), Oliver, Chloe and Clark. All of them were studying the map spread across the table, arguing about going to the portal of New Venice. Oliver and Clark kept calling it the Bermuda Triangle with a fear based awe that she found very amusing. Callista looked away, and without meaning to, met Gisela's eyes.

"He's going to live, Callista." Gisela said, gently reassuring.

"You say that like it matters to me." Callista snapped, and Gisela shook her head. The sadness in her green eyes grew deeper. "You can't fix me, Gisela. Don't try."

"There is nothing wrong with you that I could help." The younger girl replied. "The damage done to you at that Cadmus is almost healed."

Callista got up, strode over to Gisela and sat down again beside her, avoiding Lex. Taking the other girl's hand in her own, she dropped her forehead down into Gisela's palm. Shocked and overwhelmed, Gisela tried to draw back, but Callista held her hand still.

:_READ. SEE. KNOW. I FEEL THEM. THEY ARE FEEDING. IT IS COMING. YOU SAY YOU WANT TO HELP – MAKE THIS GO AWAY.: _Callista's voice ripped through Gisela's mind, all finesse and skill gone. Lamely, Gisela struggled, but the images Callista shared were too powerful to break free from. Finally, Callista let go, and Gisela drew back, rubbing her wrist and blinking from the residue of the horror she had just witnessed. Callista nodded silently, and Gisela looked down at Lex, whose troubled sleep had eased as she laid a gentle hand on his chest.

"What have we done?" Gisela whispered, as Callista's dark eyes finally filled with large tears. "Triton of the Gods. We are lost."

The black green hulk of the Leviathan pushed the water away, as it rose to take in air. Not strictly mammal, and certainly not all fish, the thing defied description. Miles and miles away from land, the huge creature raised it's head, letting a single eerie cry sail across the vast ocean. Snorting out the water from it's flat nostrils, it sounded again, pausing to listen. Diving, the Leviathan began the journey toward shore. Below it, the rest of the oily black harbingers flowed from the chasm left by the Leviathan's rise, heading toward the populated areas of Atlantis.

It was the fastest weather had changed in the history of modern meteorology. And yet it all followed the rules, no storm simply appeared. Pressure systems moved along their tracks as predicted – they simply got stronger. The jet stream intensified, carrying along with it more rain than anyone could remember falling. In Kansas, this change had manifested in punishing rains that beat down the crops instead of nourishing them. Tornadoes were predicted, but none had appeared yet.

Lois Lane shook the drops of water from her hair as she walked into her apartment. After dropping Martha Kent off at the farm, Lois had driven home just ahead of the this latest storm. Just as she had gotten out of her car, the deluge began.

'My hair is going to frizz and I…" She muttered, dropping her bag and keys on the table. A small sound made her turn to see Lana, sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. "Lana? What are you doing here?"

"Lois, I'm sorry." Lana replied, I had no where else to go, and I didn't think you'd mind." She wrapped the blanket around her more tightly. "I needed to come someplace that felt like home."

"You're always welcome. Hey, I'm renting it from you." Lois said, sitting down next to Lana on the couch. "But you were in the lap of luxury at the Luthor mansion."

"I left Lex, Lois." Lana replied. "I can't go back, either."

"No one said you should." Lois assured her, "Hey, I never liked the guy anyway. He's creepy." She stood. "I'll make some tea, and we'll watch chick flicks. I think I still have "Practical Magic"."

'No, I think I can live without movies about witches, thanks." Lana smiled and Lois shrugged, rising to her feet.

"Well, pick whatever, and I'll be back in a minute." She walked off toward the bathroom, complaining of frizzy hair and ruined blouses.

When Lois was gone, Lana took out the padded envelope that had been delivered by courier. Not wanting to consider how Lex had known she would come here, Lana opened the black velvet box, and stared down again at the sparkling contents. Chloe had told her about Lex's trademark gift of earrings for his discarded playmates, but Lana could not breathe. Her box held a diamond solitaire necklace, the stone the size of a largish pea. Whatever it meant, Lana was certain that it put her in a class of her own, and she was also sure it was not a class she wanted to be in. She snapped the box shut, then pulled out the letter that had been enclosed. It was a cryptic little note, and Lana felt a chill run up her back reading it.

"Lana,

I'll explain everything. Let's talk.

L."

The note was typed, not in Lex's usual elegant penmanship, and Lana sighed, shoving the box and letter back into the envelope. Even if this gesture was accomplished via phone call, it was obvious that Lex wasn't going to let her go easily, Lana thought with a sigh. The teakettle Lois had put up to boil started to whistle, so Lana got up to make the tea. If her new, independent life was ever going to start, today was the day.

Hal had gritted his teeth as larger planes also jockeyed for landing positions on the single runway at the Key West airport, the weather getting so bad that even continuing to the larger airport in Miami was not really an option. But the screech of the landing gear on tarmac was the most welcome sound in the world, Hal thought. He flipped on the intercom into the cabin.

"Welcome to beautiful Key West, Florida. The local temperature is 80 degrees, local time, 2:30 p.m. The crew and I would like to thank you for flying Ferris Airlines. Please remain seated until we come to a full and complete stop at our final disembarking area..."

"And would you just shut up?" Oliver's voice from behind him was cheerful. "When did you get a crew?"

"Did you get everyone settled?" Hal asked as he taxied the little jet over to the area reserved for private planes. "Hand out snacks and put on movies?"

"Yeah." Oliver replied. "So?"

"Welcome to the crew, Ollie." Hal grinned. "Sorry I don't have one of those little aprons for you."

"I wonder if the union knows about your hiring practices?" Oliver replied, shaking his head. He turned and went back out into the cabin. Chloe sat in one of the leather club chairs, the overhead light casting halos on her golden hair. She was working on her laptop, and looked up when Oliver approached. He'd tried to get her to agree to stay behind, but Chloe had outright refused, and by the stubborn lift of her chin, Oliver was pretty sure she had not reconsidered, either. A smile softened the resolve in her eyes.

'We landed, I take it." Chloe looked out the window. "It looks nasty out there."

"Oh it's getting to be heavy weather." Oliver replied calmly. "Not at all the kind of weather I want you out at sea in, but," He shrugged and slid back into the seat, resting his head on the back of the chair. "You do what you want."

Chloe smiled. "You are not guilting me into staying back at some hotel, Oliver. I want to see Atlantis for myself."

"I'm not trying to guilt you into anything." Oliver closed his eyes. "I asked you nicely."

"Nicely?" Chloe closed her computer and leaned toward him, clearing her throat. Oliver did not open his eyes. She cleared her throat again, but he did not respond. "Oliver. Look at me."

"Hmm?" One eye opened, and Oliver half turned his head so he could see her. Chloe tipped her head to make eye contact and Oliver smiled. "I want to keep on looking at you, Goldilocks. Call it selfish."

"And stupid. What good is keeping me 'safe' going to do if something happens to you?" Chloe rejoined calmly. "Why shouldn't I go if I can help?"

"Oliver." Lori's voice cut through the tension gracefully. He swiveled the chair to look at his friend, who was seated with Clark on the small couch. Lori shook her head, clasping Clark's hand. "Let her come with us." The chair spun, and soon, Oliver's back was to both girls. "You can't hide from me, Oliver Queen." Lori laughed, and Chloe tossed a pencil at him. "Or from your true feelings."

"Stop reading me." Oliver said, his back still to Lori. 'I'm not hiding from anything."

"I could, but I don't have to." She told him. "And you are." The chair spun again, and Oliver sat forward.

"Okay, here's the deal." He looked at Chloe. "You can come." Chloe smiled, victorious. "But, you stay on the boat. If anyone goes down to Atlantis itself, it's not you." Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but Oliver fixed her with a stern, no nonsense eye. "Final offer. Otherwise, I make Hal fly you back to Metropolis right now."

Clark laughed, and Chloe turned, glaring at her friend viciously. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm on Oliver's side here."

"Big help you are." Chloe replied, as Clark grinned at her. "I'll remember YOU when you want a favor." Clark laughed again, and Chloe shook her head, amused in spite of herself. "Go Google yourself, Clark."

The small town of Neputne's Deep was probably not much different than any other on land, when it came right down to it. Their main source of income was agriculture, farming kelp and different types of fish for consumption. Three merlads, tending schools of tuna were swimming near the chasm that given the settlement it's name, keeping their charges from wandering away. When the shadow passed over them, they were unimpressed, having lived with human fishing boats their whole lives. It was part of the day to day life of the merfolk – being ignored by the surface dwellers. A quick slice of a dagger would usually free a school of tuna that belonged to one of the wealthier patrons, but today, the boys found themselves watching as a long, black shape appeared from the gloom, rising with fury to bring the tuna boat down. There had been no warning, and the boys watched in terror as the human survivors tried to flee with their lives, only to get gulped down by the huge monster. It swam silently past them when it had done feeding, barely leaving a wake to disturb them.

:_Look: _One called to the others, _:What is that: _He pointed to the prow of the fishing boat, where something shiny taunted and beckoned.

_:We aren't supposed to swim the wrecks.:_ The oldest of them said sensibly. _:Come on, we'd better get back….: _His eyes grew wide and he pointed from the direction the great beast had come from. :_Harbingers! HIDE NOW:_

Forgetting their flock, the boys swam for the wreckage, peering through the tattered hull to watch the shining black school rip past them, ignoring the three boys completely. Other prey had caught the eye of the school leader.

_:I wonder…:_The youngest one began, and the two older boys shook their heads, covering their ears. Every merchild knew that the harbingers were real and they knew the charm against them. Stay still and silent. Do not even think of being afraid, because the evil things will come back. The oldest one bravely swam again to the top of the hull, searching for any sign of the mass of fish. There were none. And their flocks, the plump and almost ready to eat tuna the boys had been guarding? All that were left were scales, floating through the water, glistening with rainbows as they drifted to the ocean floor.

"Wow." A.C. laughed, hopping on to the old shrimping boat. "This is a piece of junk."

"Yeah, hell." Oliver shook his head. He looked at Hal. "Can you pilot this thing?"

"If it has wings, I can fly it. Wheels, I'm your guy. This?" Hal laughed. "Geez, Ollie, where's your yacht skipper."

"Drunk in some bar on Duval Street." Oliver spat. "Well, now what?"

"How hard can it be?" Clark asked, carrying Lex onto the boat and setting him down on a pile of nets. "It's like driving a car."

"Not quite, Clark." A.C. laughed, and then, his eye fell on an large, schooner style sailboat. "That ship right there, that's a beauty."

"It belongs to some guy from Gotham City." Oliver turned, nodding enviously. "It's sweet."

"Please." Chloe pushed past the men into the control room, taking the key from Oliver's hand. "Clark's right." She smiled charmingly at the four men. "Will some one please cast off?"

Clark grinned and A.C. saluted smartly, both younger men moving to untie the boat from it's moorings. Oliver and Hal watched her in shock as she started the engine of the old boat up and slowly sailed it out of it's mooring. The mermaids cheered, laughing as Chloe steered the shrimp boat out into the harbor.

"Well, shiver me timbers." Oliver laughed, coming into the control room behind Chloe. "Tell me, Goldilocks, what can't you do?" He stood behind her, putting his larger hands over hers, gently reasssuming command of the boat. "Captain Chloe, the fiercest pirate queen this side of the Tortugas."

Chloe leaned back against Oliver's chest. "I had to do at least that. We spend the whole flight from Metropolis obsessing over getting there, saving the day and you idiots drool over some other guys boat. Really, how old are you all?"

Oliver chuckled. "Well, my birth certificate says…"

"Ollie?" Chloe looked up at him.

"What?"

"Shut up." She grinned. "Get us to the Bermuda Triangle."

"Aye aye, Captain." Oliver grinned, hugging her close.

Lana walked into the Luthor mansion just as the tank maintenance people left. She walked into the study, and threw the envelope with the necklace in it on the table.

"Lex!" She called, looking around. "Where are you?

"He's not here, Ms. Lang." Lionel's voice startled her, and Lana turned. Lionel Luthor stood on the balcony over looking the study, with a large book wrapped in his long hands. "It's just as well, since I really did want to talk to you."

Lana looked down at the padded envelope. "You sent this?"

'I did." Lionel acknowledged. "Not to your taste, Ms. Lang?"

"Well, no, it's not that at all." Lana replied, a little out of her depth. "I just thought…"

"Lex sent it. Well, if he had any kind of manners, after your loyalty and devotion to him these last few weeks of course." Lionel made his way down the stairs. "I sent it, Ms. Lang. I have a business proposition for you."

"Why should I trust you?" Lana asked, putting her hands on her hips, trying to cover her nervousness.

"Why indeed." Lionel smiled, nodding. "I concede we have not had an easy relationship, Ms. Lang. But I'm willing to let bygones be bygones."

Lana blinked. "Bygones? What is this about?"

"I want to help you have a future, free from my son, Ms. Lang." Lionel set the book down on the bar, and poured himself a drink. "I am planning something that requires you to stay with Lex just a little longer." He held the bottle in Lana's direction and then shook his head. "Oh, of course not, I forgot. Please excuse me."

"What?" Lana replied. "You can't be serious."

Lionel sipped at his drink. 'I'm deadly serious, Ms. Lang. I never joke about family matters."

"Free of Lex? Forever?" Lana asked.

"Absolutely. And you only need tolerate his, um, eccentricities a little longer." Lionel agreed, putting his drink down. "I will financially support any change you are willing to make in your life if you will help me with this one last father to son lesson."

Lana sighed. "I'll help you."

Clark leaned against the railing, looking down into the water. He had never been on a boat like this before and it was kind of a thrill, even though the situation was pretty serious. He'd already been down in the hold, working with Hal to get the small two man submersible operational. A.C. and Oliver had been working in the control room, setting their course and heading. For now, though, Clark was glad to be standing here, alone to watch the water pass by them. Aside from his one quick trip to Miami with Bart, this was his first real exposure to the ocean. He loved it, about as much as he hated flying in an airplane. When this was over, Clark thought, it would be nice to come back and enjoy himself.

"There should be dolphins, you know." Lori said, breaking Clark's contemplation. "They know the fishing boats and swim with them." She stood beside him, leaning her arms on the rail too. The salt breeze blew her hair away from her face, the red-gold strands catching the last traces of sun that leaked out from behind the charcoal clouds. Clark was overwhelmed by her. Lori, feeling his eyes on her, blushed and cast her eyes down to wake the boat caused as it cut through the water. Lori smiled thoughtfully, imagining the sight of the mischievous creatures as they raced the boat, gently projecting the image to Clark sharing with him the undiluted joy of the dolphin pod as they raced man's ships.

_:Can you see them:_ Lori asked, and Clark nodded, seeing the blue grey creatures as the sped along side the boat in his mind, the sun glistening in opalescent shimmer across their flanks, suddenly as real as Lori herself was. _:They are as enchanted with the surface dwellers as your people are with them. They thrive on the smiles and cheers of humankind. Of all sea life, these are our ambassadors.: _One of the dolphins in the vision Lori was sharing leapt, sending crystalline drops of water everywhere and Clark smiled, holding Lori close as she gently closed down the connection between their minds.

"Aren't they afraid they'll be caught by the fishermen?" Clark asked, looking down into the water, hoping a real dolphin would appear. The awe in his voice was immeasurable.

She leaned her head against him and sighed. "No. Dolphins are smarter than that. They follow the boats because they like the thrill of swimming so fast, and, they get fish to eat. They are really kind of silly about it. It's a bad sign that they are gone, Clark." Lori's blue eyes scanned the waves. "There's nothing out here now. Everything is hiding."

"From what? The Leviathan?" Clark asked, and Lori shuddered as if cold, though he had his arm around her shoulders. "We're going to stop it, Lori."

"There are things as deadly to our kind, our world." Lori shook her head. "I never believed in them, but I can 'feel' them now, Clark. They are ancient, evil and dark. Those are the things that A.C. and I dread. Much will be lost by their onslaught."

"What are these things?" Clark turned to face her, the wind picking up and ruffling his dark hair.

Lori shook her head fearfully. "I have never lain eyes upon an actual one, Clark. Grandparents use them to scare children from swimming too far from home, and you imagine you see them in every shadow. Even their name means something on the surface world, Clark. The harbingers bring suffering with them and sorrow trailing behind in their wake."

"Lori!" A.C. appeared from the control room, undisturbed by the increasing wind and the intermittent rain. "I want to go to New Venice and see if I can find Nuada. If Luthor is going to live, we can't wait. I can be there and back before you get to the portal." He walked toward them, pulling off the t-shirt he had been wearing.

"Nuada Silverarm?" Lori put a hand on A.C.'s forearm. "She lives in Thierna Na Oge, doesn't she?"

"I'm hoping she hasn't changed her mind about a visit to New Venice this week." A.C. told her, putting his hand over hers. "I'll be back with Nuada as soon as I can. Oliver knows the heading." With a cursory nod at Clark, A.C. stepped up on to the railing and dove off into the water, instantly vanishing from sight.

"Who is Nuada Silverarm?" Clark asked, and Lori frowned, looking out in the direction that A.C. had disappeared in.

"Some say a powerful sorceress and wise woman. Others say a fraud." She shook her head. "For Lex's sake, I hope I'm wrong about her."

Because the weather had gotten worse as they moved further away from shore, Lex had been moved into the cabin, and Gisela, who had been with him every moment since he was injured. Occasionally, he'd open his eyes and stare in her direction, but Gisela could tell from his thoughts that he was not seeing her. At times, his eyes would register her heart shaped face as a narrow one with almond eyes, framed in thick, dark lashes. Other times, she was an elegant beauty with a careworn, bitter smile. He'd see her as either of these women, ignoring her long green hair as it fell around him, then his eyes would widen in horror, trying to get away as the nightmare of Callista transformed would swim through his mind. Gisela would sing to him then, soothing the nightmare away. The toxin was too strong for her to cure, so she stayed with him, easing the pain it caused as it expanded through him. Callista stayed nearby as well, listening to Gisela's songs, her pain as devastating as Lex's.

Of the others, Gisela knew little, focusing her attention where it was most needed. Lex began to stir again, speaking fast in a language Gisela barely remembered.

_:LATIN:_ A voice from Lex replied in Gisela's mind, answering her the question just as it bubbled to the surface of her mind. _:The fool invokes his god.:_

_:Prayer is never foolish:_ Gisela replied to the voice. It chuckled, low and rumbling.

_:Little fish, he is not worth saving. Useless….grasping….:_

_:It's you….:_She recognized the blackness within Lex from Callista's mind. _:Let go of him. Let him get well and go away, evil thing.:_

Again the horrible grumbling laugh reverberated through her mind. _:My dear girl, it is too late for that now. I AM HIM.:_ A small smile twitched across Lex's slack mouth and then vanished. Gisela swallowed her fear, and brought a hand to Lex's cheek. :_Please live_: she whispered in Latin. :_Please live and fight that awful thing inside you,_ _Lex. It's still not too late_.:

The Leviathan turned, sensing the ship. Feeling the presence of the Guardian, it paused, confused. It sang in question, and Callista rose, leaving the cabin to run to the bow of the fishing boat, her breath coming in deep gulps.

"Callista, what is it!" Lori, Morgaine and Persephone came after her, and she pointed, reaching for any reassuring hand available.

"It's coming. Great Mother, it's too late." She brought her hand down on the railing. "I have to stop it."

"You can't alone." Morgaine said, pulling on her shoulder. "None of us can."

Clark and Oliver appeared, Hal just behind them. "What is it?" Oliver asked, his eyes scanning the horizon. Clark also, looked over the water, and saw the black shape far in the distance, the head and neck that rose from the surface sending a wave of shock through him. Chloe had come out from the bridge to the deck above to look out toward the shape, her camera pointed in that direction, recording every moment.

"It's not moving." Clark said, and Callista turned to look at him, her eyes black and wild.

"It knows we're here. It's waiting." She turned back toward the hulking shape that turned it's reptilian face toward them.

"For what?" Oliver asked, peering through binoculars. "To ugly us to death?"

"For my signal." Callista whispered, awed by the realization. She embraced Lori. "I'm going out to it. I woke it up, maybe I can send it back."

'No, no." Lori clung to her friend. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't." Rowan piped up from behind them. She shook her head sadly. "There must always be a siren with a Guardian." Looking at her twin, she smiled.

"Rowan.." Morgaine went to her sister, and took her by the shoulders. "It's supposed to be US."

"Only one, Morgaine. I've heard it singing for hours." Rowan said. "Did you?"

Persephone snorted. "This is ridiculous. Let it take everything away. Clear our sea." She glared at Oliver, Hal and Clark. "You foolish land walkers think you own everything. Ignore us, treat our home like your waste dump." She opened her mouth. "I am a beacon..it will find me."

"Bwria 'ch i lawr myfi ai bradychi ni pawb fel." _I will strike you down myself if you betray us all so._ Callista's words were simple and to the point in the inflected and ancient tongue of Lyonesse itself, and to reinforce her intentions, she grabbed Persephone by the throat. "Dwi bwylledig 'r 'n isaf chennym pawb , namyn heddiw Chywilyddia chennych , 'ch Gras." _I am considered the lowest of us all, but today I am ashamed of you, your Grace._

Persephone snarled, and the others tried to pull Callista away. "Gwna 'ch 'n waethaf , budra hun. 'ch a eiddo ydy 'r hysgum chan 'n chymdeithas. Bendefig chrau acha 'ch balfau moddion addoed." _Do your worst, foul one. You and yours are the scum of our society. Noble blood on your hands means death. _Persephone nodded, as Callista's hand eased their grip. "Arswydi addoed , Gwarcheidwad? A , o leiaf ydy 'n brudd." _You fear death, Guardian? That, at least is wise..._

"DDIGON CHAN HON! ILL DAU CHENNYCH! CA 'CH 'N DDIAU AR GOLL 'CH HYSTYRON? MAE HYCHWANEG AM BERYG 'MA NA 'N BITW FFRYGYDAU!" _ENOUGH OF THIS! BOTH OF YOU! HAVE YOU TRULY LOST YOUR SENSES? THERE IS MORE AT RISK HERE THAN PETTY SQUABBLES! _Lori had straightened, and Clark watched her change, grow taller and more regal, her eyes a hard and glittering blue. Her tone resounded with steely command. "ARCHA 'CH ILL DAU AT DARFOD HON AWRON."_ I COMMAND YOU BOTH TO END THIS NOW. _

All eyes were on Lori. She was beautiful and terrible, regal and powerful. Callista slowly removed her hands from Persephone and both mermaids fell to their knees as thunder began to roll around them and the clouds became black and heavy with rain. Never losing her grip on the camera, Chloe watched the scene before her. She would never tell a living soul about it, except for Clark and Oliver later, but the feeling of suddenly stepping through a portal in time into a fairy tale made her mind spin. Clark, Hal and Oliver said nothing, and the other mermaids had fallen to their knees as well, heads bowed.

"Forgive, Highness." Callista muttered, and Persephone did not speak. Lorelai smiled, and placed her hands on the kneeling mermaids before her.

"Ni cannot ad 'n gwahaniaethau bod beth weakens ni , 'm ceraint. Beryg anwireddau rhagom , a ni must gwna beth ddisgwylir chennym. Bardyna 'ch Callista chan 'r Sher'Hedeen. I mewn 'ch role fel Gwarcheidwad , gwnaech mo ballu. A 'ch Persephone , ferch chan 'r 'n Frenhinol d , 'ch brad ewyllysia ca 'i s addef gwobrwya. Dydy mo ata at chosba 'ch careddau heddiw." _We cannot let our differences be what weakens us, my friends. Peril lies before us, and we must do what is expected of us. I pardon you, Callista of the Sher'Hedeen. In your role as Guardian, you did not falter. And you, Persephone, daughter of the Royal House, your treason will find it's own reward. It is not for me to punish your crimes today._ Lori took their hands in hers and raised them to their feet, a warm smile breaking the spell, returning her to her normal state. "We must work together, my friends." She looked out at the Leviathan, who had come closer, still watching, as if it too, had been surprised at the show of power from the mermaid girl. They could see her large purple head, with it's armor of shining green, black and violet scales, as she trilled again, calling. Callista backed to the rail, and Rowan as well, dove from the fishing boat.

"'n fawr Achlesydd chan Atlantis! Chrefwn 'ch at d at 'n chyfnertha i mewn 'n amsera chan beryg!" _Great Protector of Atlantis! We implore you to come to our aid in our time of peril! _Persephone sang smiling triumphantly as Callista and Rowan had entered the water, their transformation to their natural state taking place immediately. Callista came up first, and hurtled toward the Leviathan, her song drowned out but the rush of movement from the beast. Rowan also appeared, racing through the clear water. But they were too late, the Leviathan heard the call of distress, ignoring Callista's pleas for mercy, and Rowan's equally powerful shrieks of warning. The great beast reared, it's wings pulling it up from the water with a searing cry that shook the fishing boat. Morgaine dove over, as did Persephone, one immediately racing to the aid of her friends and the other, with a small backwards glance, swam toward New Venice and safety.

"Get below deck!" Oliver cried, running to the bridge. "Chloe, get below, NOW!"

She nodded, but did not move, filming the progress of the beast as it swatted with a large clawed hand the two mermaids desperately trying to calm it down. Clark leapt, snatching Chloe from the upper deck as a wave crashed over the fishing boat, from the wake of the Leviathan's rise. With a grace Chloe barely believed possible, Clark deposited her in the hold, next to the sub. Before she could get her breath, Clark was gone, back up on deck with Oliver and Hal. Chloe could hear Oliver's voice, strong and assured even as he called out instructions to the others. Feeling foolish, Chloe climbed up the ladder and ran into the cabin. Lori and Gisela clung to Lex, trying to get him to the hold, dragging him while trying to keep their balance on the wet deck.

The Leviathan screamed again, as Morgaine got closer. The mermaid rose out of the water, her song piercing and the monster dove, trying to silence her.

"Morgaine!" Rowan called as her sister was lifted from the sea, a prisoner of the massive claws.

Lori's head snapped up, and she scrambled to the railing, falling on her way. Morgaine was smaller than a doll in the beasts grasp, and she screamed, again causing it to turn and pause in it's wrath to stare at her. It seemed to acknowledge her presence, but would give no quarter. Morgaine was released, falling with a sickly splash. The Leviathan drew closer, eyeing Lori, it's curiosity piqued.

"Cer , 'n Hen hun , ddychwelyd at 'ch bwyso. 'r amsera achos 'r hela ydy mo awron. 'r beryg at Atlantis comes chan 'ch addef arwyrain. 'r harbingers rhyddheir , 'n Fawr Achlesydd , a pawb chan Atlantis weeps am 'n hwy yn d." _Go, Ancient one, return to your rest. The time for the hunt is not now. The danger to Atlantis comes from your own rise. The harbingers are freed, Great Protector, and all of Atlantis weeps at their coming. _Lori cried, raising her arms over her head. She repeated it over and over, causing the beast to come to face her. The monster chirped, and dove, causing more waves to pour across the deck of the ship, breaching the surface not more than a mile away. Clark and Hal paused, staring as the monster seemed to bow to Lori. The shining scales glittered, viridian, iris and jet as it lowered it's head, plunging into the depths again, in search of the most primary and immediate threat to Atlantis, the harbingers. But Lori felt the monsters reluctance to spare them. She would be back, and there would be no stopping her from hunting them down.

"Leapin' Lizards." Oliver gasped, as the giant tail slid into the sea, barely making a sound. "Everyone okay? Sound off!"

"Here!" Clark said, going to Lori and folding her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head gently as she turned to seek her friends in the ever increasing gloom. Callista had gone after Morgaine, and Rowan followed suit, but the song that returned to the ship over the waves was not one of happy reunion.

"I'm alright!" Hal said, standing up. He had lost his balance with the last set of swells from the Leviathan's dive. "Next time, I'm drinking with the yacht skipper."

"We're fine in the cabin!" Chloe called, her arms around Gisela, whose sobs had begun the moment Morgaine had landed with a neck breaking splat, and had worsened as the mournful song drifted to them on the breeze. Lex's breathing was deep and even, and he muttered in his sleep, something Chloe recognized from her brief career in Sunday School, and she said them aloud with him, because never in her life would she have ever for a second believed them to be true.

"_Lo, let the night be solitary, let no joyful cry be heard in it. Let them curse it who curse the day who are ready to awake the Leviathan_."

Persephone knew the place well. The money lender would not be happy that she had come to him empty handed, but the promise of something much greater might sway him to see things her way. The information had fallen in her lap, back in the hotel in Metropolis. The human girl's thoughts had been so unguarded, so easy to see, and yielded such a fat prize unknowingly. Conflict over her new feelings for Oliver battled with the girlish longing for the one that Lori had fallen in love with. Clark. It was he that Persephone planned to use to pay for her debts, a true Otherworlder, an oddity of tremendous value. Thank you, Chloe Sullivan. Persephone reached into her pocket and came away with a ring, stolen from the pocket of Callista's human, where it had been hidden in a little lead box. She smiled at it joyfully. She knocked at the door of the dwelling, the wreckage of a battleship lost in some surface dweller war that didn't matter at all. It swung open, and she swam inside to make her deal and sell the information that would free her from the money lender forever.

The first time Clark saw real dolphins, it was a pair that bore the broken body of Morgaine back to the fishing boat. They had chatted companionably with Lori as Clark carried her up the ladder. Rowan had come behind the dolphins, allowing Hal to carry her up the ladder after Clark had taken Morgaine to the makeshift sickbay in the cabin. Lex was stretched out on one long bench, Morgaine on the other, her long purple hair in wet coils that stretched everywhere. Gisela bent over her new charge, barely controlling her grief. And all of them stood and watched as the young healer worked feverishly to save her friend. Rowan sat silently, her sister's head resting on her legs, crooning. Soon, all that could be done was done, and Gisela dropped to her knees, weeping. Lori slid to sit beside her sister, and they began to sing. Morgaine's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled, taking Gisela's hand.

"You and I have been friends from the day of our spawning." Morgaine said, and Gisela looked up, nodding.

"We have. But that is the beauty of being family." Gisela smiled through her tears. "You are going to get well, and I promise I will swim the East Australian Current with you this year."

"Ah." Morgaine closed her eyes again, blocking out the waves of pain that washed over her. "I think I will not be doing such things anymore."

"'Gaine.." Rowan whispered, "Please…Mother and Father…"

"Will be proud of how I died defending you from the Leviathan." Morgaine smiled gently, slightly teasing in her old way. "I finally amounted to something. Recklessness pays off. I always knew it would."

Chloe choked on a sob, burying her face in Oliver's chest, and the mermaids turned at the sound. "Come, you all." Morgaine released Gisela's hand and waved them over. "Be with me." Hal shook his head, and backed out of the room, retreating to the ship rail, but Clark, Chloe and Oliver dropped to their knees beside the bench. "Go on, Gisela. Show them. It doesn't hurt. I saw it with the doctor. Please. I have the right to choose."

"I can't." Gisela wailed. "I can't. Please don't make me, Morgaine. Please let me help you live. You are young, your soul still is strong."

"Ah, little one." A woman's voice said from the doorway, and the Queen of Thierna Na Oge smiled at Gisela sadly. "I have come too late." Lori rose, as A.C. entered the cabin with Nuada. "Stand aside, sweet one." Gisela rose, and Nuada kissed her forehead in blessing and then knelt beside Morgaine. "You are ready, Ocean child, to return to the Great Mother?"

"Aye, revered one." Morgaine took the sorcerer Queen's hand in her own. "May she grant me speed to my rest."

"Then we shall sing you to it." Nuada said, leaning forward to kiss Morgaine gently on the lips, the formal Kiss of Peace. She turned her silver eyes to Lori. "You, Princess, must begin."

Lori nodded, and began to sing in a language older even than Atlantean, soft and strong, her voice being joined at first by Gisela, then A.C. and Nuada herself. Finally, Rowan began to sing as well, tears streaming from her eyes. Morgaine smiled one last time, and her eyes drifted shut, first into sleep and then forever.

Clark closed his eyes, holding Lori's hand in his own. He could hear her weeping and he took a deep breath before he opened his eyes. Callista was watching them, sitting on the opposite bench at Lex's feet. She had not spoken, and Nuada rose, and went to her.

"You, daughter of the Sher'Hedeen. Your loyalty has redeemed you from your disgrace. Rise, and do not trouble yourself further." Nuada touched Callista's lips with a long white finger. "The tests you have thus far encountered are nothing compared with what is to come. Will you face them bravely, as you swore?"

"I will." Callista straightened and nodded sharply. "Revered one."

"Then I will grant you a boon." Nuada said, looking down at Lex. "This creature has a hold over you?" She looked back into Callista's face. "Tell me or don't, child. I see it plainly. So be it. But let me ask you, you have seen the evil thing that dwells behind his eyes, and yet you desire him still?"

"Only that he be spared, Revered One." Callista whispered. "I ask nothing for myself."

"Even the knowledge of his feelings for you? You do not seek this? It would give you great power over him, my child." The sorceress said, and then turned to Clark, her face intense. "And you, this creature has wronged you at every turn, in ways that you cannot possibly begin to be aware of. And yet you are as fervently wishing I heal him. Why?"

Clark looked at her, stunned. "What do you mean?"

Nuada nodded. "All surface dwellers are the same. Easy to read. Ah, it is of no matter. For you, daughter of the Sher'Hedeen, I will grant this man his life."

Nuada knelt beside Lex, and put her hand to his wound, which seemed to be healing quite nicely. She did not speak, but quietly concentrated, and finally broke away with a gasp. Rising, she wiped her hand on her gown and turned to Clark again.

'I hope, Otherworlder, that you do not someday regret this day." She smiled at him. "Your path amongst the surface dwellers will not be an easy one, and this, creature will have a great deal to do with that."

Clark nodded solemnly. Nuada held out a hand to Lori and Gisela. "Come with me, Princesses. There are things I must say to you that are for your ears alone." Rowan had risen, and Nuada embraced her, whispering in her ear. Rowan nodded, and then sat again by her sister's body. Lori and Gisela followed the Queen from the cabin, with A.C. following behind. Moments later when they returned, it was decided that the merfolk would return to Lyonesse with Morgaine's body. All the others could do would be to wait with Callista on the boat. Clark kissed Lori goodbye and watched her swim away with her family. He stood at the railing, amazed at the stars above him. Even on the farm, there was too much light to appreciate how many there were. He could hear Chloe and Oliver talking in hushed tones in the galley, and he chose not to intrude further. Hal was tinkering with the sub, and Callista sat with Lex, her hands wrapped around his. Given the day, Clark was glad to be alone.

Thinking of Lori, Clark was distracted enough to not hear his kidnappers as they climbed up the side of the boat, and surprised enough that they had somehow managed to subdue him, the magic song of a mermaid lulling him into submission. The next thing Clark knew, the weight of the water was folding in around him, and then he could see nothing at all.


	12. Episode VS 12 Prophecy

**Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 12 - Prophecy**

_'r cenedlaethau chordda ag 'r tides , yn chwimio ag 'r leuad ,  
'r 'n Frenhinol D shall sil 'n dri  
Hun shall llywodraethu ar pawb i mewn 'r ddwfn , Brenin chan pawb  
Banon chan Lyonesse shall arall bod  
Chria Atlantis , achos 'r 'n drydydd ewyllysia mo chwrdd 'n gyfryw a 'n ddedwydd dynghedu –  
At byncio 'r Anifail yn cysgu a wrthi at arhosa…._

**Found by divers off the coast of Western Britain written in a small, leather bound journal in the hull of a 1,000 year old wrecked Celtic ship. The translation follows below:**

_"The generations turn with the tides, moving with the moon,  
The Royal House shall spawn three  
One shall rule over all in the deep, King of all  
Queen of Lyonesse shall another be  
Cry Atlantis, for the third will not meet such a happy fate  
To sing the Beast asleep and beside it to wait... "_

The Leviathan closed in on a group of harbingers as they swam toward the small domed village. The almost careless and graceful pursuit drew all of town to the highest points, to watch through the clear dome. The villagers cheered as the great monster swallowed the harbingers, letting none escape. The large tail swung, sending shock waves through the water that caused the dome above the town to shake. The Leviathan sang in triumph, gliding off into the gloom beyond the village.

Chloe emerged from the cabin at dawn, rubbing her eyes. Sleep was usually something she avoided, getting as little as four hours was generally enough. But the excitement of the day had been so much that when Oliver sat down in the galley to rest, Chloe had joined him, and in no time, they were both fast asleep. Everything was quiet, Oliver up for at least an hour before her. Not even seagulls had flown out this far, and Chloe stretched, blinking at the rosy glow of the eastern sky. She had made coffee, and made a rough sort of breakfast. The Key West Harbormaster had provisioned the boat, for steeply inflated prices, but Oliver didn't care. He gratefully accepted the coffee Chloe had brought him, going back to his maps and charts in silence.

She could hear Hal in the hold, cursing as he worked on repairing the controls for the crane that pulled the nets from the sea – it would make getting the sub into the water that much easier. Callista had fallen asleep near Lex, waking as Chloe had come from the galley. Lex's sleep was deep, and Chloe wondered how much abuse someone could take before they truly snapped. Perhaps Lex's psychotic 'break' a few years ago was of suspicious origins, but a big one had to be looming on the horizon this time. Chloe closed her eyes, and breathed in deeply.

"Where is Clark?" Callista asked, frowning. "I thought he'd be waiting for Lori on deck." She ruffled her dark hair and looked around. "Would he have gone swimming?"

Chloe opened her eyes with a start. "He's not here at all?" In her mind, Clark had found a place to sleep in the hold, where Hal had strung nets into hammocks. She dropped her cup in shock and it shattered on the deck, coffee spreading everywhere. "Clark!" She called down into the hold. Hal Jordan looked up from his work, face smeared with grease. "Hal is he down there?"

"He's not here." Hal called back. "I haven't seen him all night."

"Clark!" Chloe called, pushing past Callista and walking toward the bow of the boat. An edge of panic tinted her voice, raising the pitch higher. "Clark!"

Oliver appeared, holding a compass in his hand. "Chloe, what is it? What's this about Clark?"

"Clark is missing, Oliver." Chloe said, her eyes wild. "He can't have just vanished."

'He didn't." Callista's voice was bracing, forcing Chloe to collect herself. "This was left. It was on the deck at your feet, Chloe." She held up a folded piece of what looked like parchment. Opening it, she read it and frowned. "These are the coordinates for this boat's position. Who ever did this was sent."

"Sent?" Chloe asked, taking the parchment from Callista. "By who? For what?"

Oliver swore and looked out to sea. "Persephone. Damn her hide."

Callista nodded. "I suspect her as well, Oliver, but I don't know your reason for doing so."

"She asked me for money, a lot of money, just after you all came to Metropolis. I gave her some, but as much as she needed…" He put a hand over his eyes and sighed. "I'd already invested so much in the band…"

"Hey, Oliver." Chloe took his hand. "This isn't your fault. Clark would be the first to tell you that."

"No, it is Persephone's." Callista folded the parchment and stuffed it into her black halter top. "I'm going after her."

"Wait, now." Oliver said. "Chloe and I will go too. Let's make some plans. Before we go anywhere, Lex needs to be gotten away from here." Callista thought about that, and nodded briefly. Oliver turned to Chloe and put his arm around her. "Clark will be all right until we get there. He's been through some pretty bad things and made it out okay before."

Clark awoke with a gasp. His clothes, the jeans and red t-shirt were gone. He was dressed in a kind of mail shirt, lightweight but strong, the black metal cold against his chest and black hide pants. He stood, smelling the green, rotten scent of mold, and looked around. He was in a cell, about his height wide and twice his height deep. A hammock was strung from one wall, and suspended on it's other side by an ancient chain. Reaching for the bars, his hands received a pulse of energy so strong it knocked him to the floor. There was briefly an odor of singed skin and Clark looked down to see that his hands were burned a little, the sting causing him to flex his fingers.

"Good morning." A female voice said from the shadows, and Clark scrambled to his feet. Persephone appeared, a rueful smile on her face. "Don't try the bars again. They've been bewitched."

"Magic? Are you kidding me?" Clark replied, reaching out to touch the bars again. He felt the hum of the power that coursed through them before his finger touched the iron, so he put his hand at his side. "There's no such thing."

Persephone laughed. "Of course. How arrogant you land dwellers are! All the magic on the surface disappeared when Atlantis sunk beneath the waves, I suppose!" Clad in a similar chain mail to Clark, Persephone's thigh length tunic more closely resembled scales and it made small tinkling sounds as she walked toward him, her legs bare except for the ties of her sandals. "But you…you question magic when you know that such things ARE possible. Aren't they, Otherworlder?" Her eyes were keen and Clark noticed for the first time that they were a hard and metallic blue.

"Otherworlder?" Clark walked to one of the walls, and put his hand on it. The seemingly fragile wood sent him reeling backwards as a surge of energy seared him. He blinked and shook his head. "What makes you say that?"

"A human would have never survived the trip down without artificial support, for one." She replied, sitting down on a table. "Also, the amount of energy that has coursed through you would have paralyzed any other creature alive. But then, the thoughts of Chloe Sullivan were the best evidence of all. She thinks you are immortal, you know." Persephone nodded. "We shall be testing that though, make no mistake."

"I still have my powers?" Clark asked. "What do you want with me?"

"I've done with you. But the one that owns you now has plans. The arena. Fight for your freedom and you will have it. If you live. The one that owns you will make his money on the bets he wins. When he has won the amount he wishes, you will be freed." Persephone sighed. "Don't try to escape, either. The green stone in Luthor's ring has made a very effective focusing stone for the spells they've worked to keep you in control."

"Why, Persephone?" Clark asked. "I would have helped you in any way I could. Why are you doing this?"

"You could not have helped me." She stood, her mail shirt jingling softly. "The debt my family owed was much greater than you could imagine."

"You're in armor too." Clark observed and Persephone nodded.

"I refused to pay the rest of the debt with my body." She smiled bitterly. "So the rest shall be paid in my blood. But my family will be free."

"I can't let you do that." Clark said. "I'll fight whatever they want me to, in your place."

"You would do that?" Persephone tipped her head and studied him. "You would. How noble and heroic of you. Even after such a betrayal as this?" She held out her arms and looked around. "You still would fight in my place?"

"You did it because you were desperate. I can help you." Clark said earnestly, and Persephone laughed.

"Fool." Her eyes creased and her smile was cruel. "As if I would let an honorless surface dweller take a sword up in my defense. Suffer your own fate, and I will suffer mine." She pulled on a helmet that covered her entire head and fit over her shoulders perfectly. With a small backwards glance, Persephone walked out to the arena staging area to wait her turn.

The vault of the Thane of Lyonesse stood alone at the edge of the border, the last structure that could truly be considered inside the dome. But the crypt went deeper and way away from the dome. Morgaine had been bedecked in the robes befitting her station, the purple rinsed from her hair, it's natural ebony spilling around her. Lyonesse was the last of the cities that had survived from the surface, it's buildings still replete with the air of a Renaissance tapestry. The Thane, a large and bearish man, walked behind his daughter's bier, holding the hand of his wife, whose impish good looks and still dark hair gave evidence to where his daughters had come by their charms. Rowan walked silently beside her brother, heir to Lyonesse, Ronal. He held his sister's arm protectively, but his attention had been drawn elsewhere. His cousins, Lorelai and Gisela draped in the purple that noted their rank, stood silently at the opening of the family crypt. Gisela's hair, newly stripped of the green she had chosen on the surface, shone as bright and warm as new copper, reflecting the maturity in her sweet little face. It was Lorelai that had captured his imagination, somber and serene, a diadem of gems no match for the intricate dressing of her red gold hair. Her parents, the Lady Princess Hylde and the Lord Prime Minister Corig were with their daughters, tears of sorrow for their fallen kinswoman mingling with those of gratitude that their priceless pearls had been spared. Lady Hylde's nephew, Oren, stood beside her, in place of his father, King Atlan. Ronal wondered if Lorelai had been promised to Oren, remembering that there had been no betrothal made for either of the Princesses, their position too close to the High throne of Atlantis. Having a kingship of his own to come in time, Ronal was more interested in the beauty of the girl, and of her rumored intelligence and grace. He turned away reluctantly, looking instead at Morgaine, whose beauty had not diminished, and Ronal nearly expected her to sit up in characteristic mischief and declare them all fools for believing such a trick. But his wish was not granted.

Nuada Silverarm, her silver robes moving about her, raised her arms, and the drums beating as the funeral cortege had made their way to the cave stopped. When she spoke her voice was unmuffled by the silver veil over her face. It carried over the crowd in tones that seemed to call the spirits to her, deep and sure.

"Na hychwaneg shall chlywn 'ch 'n llawen chwardd , na hychwaneg edmyga 'ch 'n eirias addfwynbryd , na hychwaneg gwefreiddia at 'ch 'n anystyriol ddewrder,"No more shall we hear your joyful laugh, no more admire your glowing beauty, no more thrill to your reckless bravery. "Blentyn chan 'r Aig , drysoredig ferch , addoledig chwaer , 'n ffyddlon chyfaill , 'n deyrngarol ddinesydd chan Lyonesse , gwna mo alara 'n yn dolurio. Ddyhea shall bynciwn 'r caniad chan 'ch abertha a adfeilia. Ddyhea shall bynciwn at 'ch chof. A mewn pryd , byddwn adunedig i mewn 'r 'n Fawr Fam , ble pawb buchedd begins , a pawb buchedd bennau." Child of the Sea, treasured daughter, adored sister, faithful friend, loyal citizen of Lyonesse, do not mourn our mourning. Long shall we sing the song of your sacrifice and fall. Long shall we sing to your memory. And in time, we will be reunited in the Great Mother, where all life begins, and all life ends.

The sound of the pipes, melancholy and lost, washed over the scene, and drums began to beat again, as the bier was carried deep within the vault. The Thaness shrieked, falling to her knees in a pool of rustling black, and Rowan beside her, a stark counterpoint in virginal white mourning, her slender arms around her mother's shaking shoulders. The Thane gestured to his son, who strode with purposeful steps into the vault, to ensure his sister's proper entombment. After what felt like forever, Ronal reemerged, nodding at his father wordlessly. The ancient stone, sister to those at Stonehenge, was slid into place, and the name of this Princess, and the date of her death were inscribed, a carving of the Leviathan underneath.

"I mewn rhin a bonedd Morgaine , Dywysoges chan Lyonesse 'ma gorffwysfaoedd. Cymeredig hefyd 'n ebrwydd at 'r 'n Fawr Anifail , darfu yn amddiffyn beth faterion odiaeth , 'i deulu a 'i ceraint." In virtue and nobility, Morgaine, Princess of Lyonesse here rests. Taken too soon by the Great Beast, she died defending what matters most, her family and her friends.

Lori and Gisela followed behind their parents, silently communicating, planning their escape. A.C. also, holding his aunt's hand, leading her to the litter, was concentrating elsewhere, and finally, the Prime Minister turned, facing his daughters, his blue eyes full oftheeerie calm that often masked the gravity of his feelings.

"Nothing of the sort." He looked at Lorelai. "You are home. Let the surface dwellers to their fate."

"Father, they have risked everything to save us." Gisela began, usually the one who could be counted to win her father's approval. "And one, Clark, is very like the hero from Lyonesse who went to the aid of their legendary king…" Corig grunted, looking to his wife to pick up the battle. It was a familiar tactic of theirs, and the girls knew it well.

Hylde turned then, and raised Lori's chin so that their eyes met. "You fear for this man, my child?"

"Not for him, Lady Mother." Lori sighed, "But if I may help save the world he loves so much, I could prove to my love to him."

"Lori.." Gisela turned, her eyes wide. "Clark does…"

"Love." Hylde turned to her husband an eyebrow raised quizzically over her deep green eyes. "Poor child."

"Poor child indeed." Lori's father sniffed. "Would you have us end like my brotherand his wife? Less one so precious.." Corig held a hand to his daughter and Lori took it, smiling reluctantly. "I could not bear it, not for a thousand Leviathans, child. As for this surface dweller,the old saying holds true, you know – can a bird love a fish? And if so, where would they make their home, my darling?" Corig caressed his daughters cheek softly and she raised her hand to his, smiling.

_:Say nothing now.:_ Lori heard an unfamiliar male voice in her mind, and she turned. Ronal, heir of Lyonesse nodded in her direction._ :I will help you and your sister make your escape and give you whatever assistance I can. For Atlantis and Morgaine.:_ His grey eyes were bottomless and shining with honor and pride.

_:As you wish, my Lord. My cousin Oren will be glad to coordinate with you.:_ Lori replied, sweeping a curtsey in his direction.

"Ah, the young Thane.." The Prime Minister bowed slightly in Ronal's direction. "An excellent match, Lorelai.."

"Nonsense." Hylde snapped, "Husband, they were childhood companions. Leave matchmaking to the women." Taking her daughters by the hand, Hylde walked to her litter with a slightly stronger step. Matchmaking for Kings could wait until Atlantis was secure, after all and needed to be accomplished skillfully. Let the girl have her romantic notions for as long as they could possibly last.

"Alright, Otherworlder, to yer feet." The large merman snapped as Clark stood. "It's yer turn in the arena."

"What about Persephone? Is she okay?" Clark asked, and the merman laughed, his belly shaking like a perverse Santa.

"If okay means bleeding on the floor, then aye." He chortled, wiping tears from his eyes. "And no tricks, Otherworlder. There's powerful magic around ye. Keep's ya on an even playing field, I'd say." Clark did not respond, which only made the other man laugh again. "Oh, ain't ye proud? Well, Otherworlder, you won't be so proud when Charybdis is done with ye." Noting Clark's neutral expression, he grunted. "Don't know Charybdis? They say his mother was a mermaid queen, his father Davy Jones himself. Bad sort. He'll be fair wit' ye though, Otherworlder. Pay the debt and ye'll be free to go."

"Fine." Clark picked up a spear and shield from a pile near the door. "Where do I go now?"

"Hopes ye can swim, laddie." The Keeper chortled. "The arena is UNDERWATER. No fancy dome here." The larger man shuffled forward down a small corridor, and opened a pressure door. Behind it, several mermen and creatures such as Clark had only imagined or seen in nightmares waited. Several looked like the creature Callista had briefly transformed into, and Clark shuddered. They were larger, stronger than she had been, and Clark could only imagine that they were male. They eyed him as he passed, laughing._ :Good luck, worm. Hope for your sake that I don't get in the arena with you.:_ Clark turned and one of them, the largest one, drew a webbed hand across his own neck._ :It wouldn't be fair…:_

"Look alive, ye scum!" The Keeper shouted, cracking his whip. "Fresh blood for the sharks. Stand aside. Keep yer petty squabbles for the arena."

Clark ignored them and stepped onto the platform. The Keeper grunted.

"Here now, this is what ye do, ay? Climb this ladder, and get to the next set of doors. When ye get out to the arena, look sharp. They'll be waiting."

"They?" Clark almost dropped the spear. "How many they?"

The Keeper smiled toothlessly and nodded. "As many they as the master wants, a' course. Go on.." He pointed up the ladder. "Hopes the gods favor ye, laddie."

Clark went through the pressure door and out into the water. It was warm at least, but a sickly wave passed through him. The floor of the arena was littered with bodies and broken weapons. The keeper had been right. Persephone lay sprawled on the ground, her tail moving ever so slightly. There was a large gash on her side, and Clark moved to check on her, fighting the urge to vomit. The stands were filled with creatures, mostly merfolk and he could hear their derision in his mind, mocking him as he swam to her side. Her eyes partially closed, she turned her face away, and pushed at his hands.

_:Leave me: _She said simply._ :You have other problems.:_ The crowd jeered, and then one stood, tall and powerful looking. Clark saw the reason for his queasiness - the ring Persephone had stolen from Lex was on the man's right index finger. He raised his arms, stunning the crowd to silence.

_:And now, a rare treat, straight from another world! Behold, how noble, how completely unconcerned about his own safety:_ The smile that stretched across this man's face was chilling, and Clark met his eye calmly.

_:Get her to safety. I'll do whatever you want.:_ Clark projected the thought outward, and the man raised an eyebrow. The crowd began to murmur, and the man waved his arms.

_:She sold you to me, Otherworlder. But you already know that, don't you? Well, why should I deprive you the first right to kill her:_

_:I won't kill anyone.:_ Clark said defiantly. The crowd began to shout again, their desire for blood nearly a frenzy.

_:OH? They will surely kill you, Otherworlder.:_ The man brought his left hand down, and a gate opened. The three Sher'Hedeen, including the one that threatened Clark in the staging area appeared, holding green, glowing spears. Clark felt himself weaken. Kryptonite. He looked up and the man, Charybdis laughed, rubbing his chin with his right hand, the glowing ring._ :And you will fight for your life.:_

The first of the Sher'Hedeen warriors swung a weapon like an iron scourge, and Clark felt the impact as pressure more than pain, the mail taking a bit of abuse. The green glow was gone, and Clark grabbed the scourge and pulled the first warrior toward him, swinging the creature into two of his companions. Pain tore through his hand and Clark gasped, pulling away to see the marks of the scourge there. Charybdis smiled down at him, with a shrug, the ring exposed and glowing.

_:Otherworlder…:_ The Sher'Hedeen who had threatened him in the staging area loomed above him, a spear pointed at Clark._ :Look ALL around.:_

_:I will.:_ Clark replied, grabbing at the spear. Wave after wave of nausea shook him, and he felt the lash of the scourge on his back, his legs. The spearhead cut his hand, and Clark struggled to maintain control. Suddenly, the pain was gone, the nausea over and he grasped the spear and broke the head clean away, turning the spearhead to use it as a dagger. The Sher'Hedeen had regrouped, venom dripping now from their claws. Callista had been infected by kryptonite radiation, Clark thought, but who knew what the effect the magic was having on these creatures now.

_: Don't stand there, fool: _Persephone's voice cut through his mind._ :FIGHT:_

""Hal, come back for us once you get Lex off to Metropolis." Oliver called before closing the door to the sub. Hal waved once in reply and then got the ship started, heading back to Key West under full steam. Outfitted in wetsuits, Chloe and Oliver were ready to search for Clark, Callista leading the way. Oliver began bringing the sub down, and soon, they were surrounded by water on all sides. Callista swam past, and Chloe gasped. Lori had been right, because there was not one fish to be seen as they descended, until finally, they could reached the ocean floor. Formations of rock and tall stands of seaweed gave hiding places to fish of every description, and off in the distance, the wreckage of an old ship loomed before them. It was a remarkable sight, and Chloe was stunned to near speechlessness.

"Whoa." Chloe gasped, and Oliver nodded in silent agreement. Callista waved them on, urging them to move faster. Oliver accelerated, and they moved toward New Venice.

"Clark!" Lori gasped, sinking to the chair, holding her stomach. She looked down at her hand, and a red weal ran the length of it. Gisela and A.C. were beside her immediately. Her eyes were full of tears, and she seemed to be looking beyond them. "He's in danger. We have to help him."

"In danger where?" A.C. asked, and Lori shook her head, tears now streaking down her cheeks. Gisela took her sister's hand, closing her own over the wound. "Where is he, Lori?"

"Arena." She whispered. "In the Arena of New Venice."

"Then we have to go now." A.C. waved to Ronal, who appeared immediately. "How fast can you be ready to go?"

"Almost this moment, Your Highness." Ronal replied. "There will be others. If the Beast needs to be brought down, it will take more than just a handful of us. They will be waiting outside the dome, on the other side of the royal crypt."

A.C. nodded, and Ronal bowed to the girls, his glance lingering on Lori before he moved off, pausing only to brush his sister's cheek with a kiss. Rowan looked up at her brother, nodding. The message would be sent, and Rowan would be there waiting as well.

There was no particular pattern to when Charybdis would activate the kryptonite, Clark realized, as he struggled with one Sher'Hedeen. One moment there was no fight at all, really, and the next, he was face first in the sand, blinking back pain from everywhere on his body. Persephone spoke to him telepathically, sometimes offering support, others berating him for slowness or ignoring an opponent. She was growing weaker, though. Desperate to save them both, Clark struggled on. He pushed himself up, feeling himself and as the Sher'Hedeen warriors came at him again, Clark shot off blasts from his eyes, searing heat that sent them tumbling backwards.

_:Very clever.:_ Persephone said encouragingly._ :Took you long enough to figure out that you could do that:_

_:I'm making this up as I go: _Clark ducked a thrown spear, the water slowing his movements ever so slightly. _:Not like I find myself in gladiator battles in back home every day.:_

_:To your left…:_Persephone warned, and Clark blocked the attack. Weakness flooded through him, and the Sher'Hedeen grinned, raking venomous claws across Clark's face. The venom stung, and as it spread, his whole body felt like it was on fire, his eyes boiling. The weight of the mail shirt pulled him to the ground again, on his knees, hands over eyes as he writhed in pain. The Sher'Hedeen grabbed him by the hair, a blade at his throat. Clark felt the first cut, the pain of that cutting through the searing heat of the toxin. And then, almost miraculously, the blade shattered into pieces. Clark twisted his head up with a grin, and the Sher'Hedeen seemed surprised. Clark rose, grabbing the monster and throwing him, through the water to knock out the other two. They did not rise, and the crowd roared in outrage.

_:I'm done, Charybdis.:_ Clark said, as the crowd began to riot._ :I won. It's over.:_

Charybdis nodded, and rose out of his seat, sinking down to where Clark was. _: Done? I'll tell you when you are done, Otherworlder. That was only round one.:_ The kryptonite glowed evilly and Clark braced himself against the wave of pain that washed over him.

"How much further do you think?" Chloe asked, and Oliver shrugged. There was no way to keep track of time underwater, and Chloe was getting nervous.

"No telling. We just follow Callista and hope for the best." Oliver replied. Seeing Chloe's impatience, he reached over and took her hand. "We'll find him, Goldilocks. I promise."

"I know, Oliver." Chloe squeezed his hand. "Remember when you told me the other night that the world sees you as a hero?" Her voice was thoughtful, her expression soft.

"I do." Oliver smiled. "You called me evil. I was wounded to the core, too."

Chloe laughed. "Yeah, right." She looked down at their linked hands. "I want you to know, Oliver, that I have seen you as very much a hero since we met."

"Well, since I was saving you from an angry mob at the time, I  
guess that's only fair." He grinned, and kissed her hand. "Evil or hero, Goldilocks, I only care that you are thinking about me at all."

_:There's New Venice:_ Callista's voice registered as if from far away. _:There is a battle in the arena…:_

_:Arena:_ Chloe sat forward with the binoculars, looking through the sub windows._ :There:_

_:Ahead. The dark spot in the dome. It is run by a treacherous monster named Charybdis.:_ Callista said leading them closer._ :It would have been the easiest place to land the sub. We'll have to find a different spot. Are you both ready:_

_:As ready as we'll ever be.: _Oliver thought, looking at his arrows. Wouldn't know how much good they'd do, but he'd bring them, just in case. He looked at Chloe. "Going to be able to contain yourself, the natural curiosity?"

"Clark is in trouble. That comes first." Chloe smiled. 'Besides, my camera wasn't waterproof."

"Oh, no Pulitzer this week." Oliver leaned over and kissed her. "Okay, Goldilocks, let's go."

Lori gasped when she saw how many others Ronal had brought together. They stood together, nearly thirty, waiting, talking amongst themselves. Rowan had come as well and was in deep conversation with Nuada Silverarm.

"This is impressive." A.C. said, and Lori nodded. "If this had been an official cry for help I wonder how many would have come?"

"All of Atlantis, my Prince." Ronal said, with a quick bow. "The exit to the ocean is through the crypt."

"Good, and Ronal," A.C. held out a hand. "My friends call me A.C."

The other merman looked at A.C.'s hand quizzically, but clasped it anyway. "I will call you what my kinswoman does. I will call you Oren, if that suits."

"Yes, just quit the 'Your Majesty' stuff for now." A.C. grinned. Ronal smiled back, and Lori noted how kind his smile was, and how more settled he seemed than either of his wild sisters. A good ally for Oren to have, she thought as Nuada Silverarm approached.

"I must remind you, Lorelai, of the prophecy. It will save you all." Nuada began, and Lori looked away. "The Leviathan will not allow even you to distract it again.

"You are asking me to condemn my sister." Lori said, and Nuada shook her head.

"Is it condemnation to meet her destiny?" Nuada said gently. "You will not forestall the inevitable for long, Princess. Remember. The fates call their will to bear, even if we fight it the whole time."

Lori sighed. "Does Gisela know?"

"When the time comes, she will remember. Now go. The otherworlder needs your help." Nuada kissed Lori's forehead. "Great Mother grant you success, your Highness."

Hal handed Lex up the steps of the Luthorcorp jet into the hands of the crew. Lionel Luthor stood on the tarmac, pulling his raincoat around him.

"I can't tell you how much it means to me, Mr. Jordan, that you found my son and are returning him. When he disappeared the other night, none of us knew what to think."

"Well, I found him, safe and sound. Drunk as a lord in a bar in Key West, but, he's alive. Let him sleep it off." Hal nodded. "And, if he mentions mermaids and sea monsters, I'd chalk it off to the rum and leave it."

"Very sensible." Lionel smirked, rubbing his chin. "You say you work for Carol Ferris?"

"Oh, yes sir." Hal nodded, glad he could still pull off the 'aw-shucks' routine when necessary, "I was flying a client out on the modified Lear." Hal indicated Carol's jet. "They're still drinking in that bar on Duval Street right now."

Lionel chuckled. "Well, when in Key West, I suppose. Thank you again, Mr. Jordan. And tell your client I look forward to our meeting in Metropolis when he gets back."

"Sure thing." Hal saluted and moved off, eager to get back to the boat. Lionel climbed into the plane, and looked at Lana, had just come from the sleeping area of the plane, unwilling concern drifting into her eyes.

"Is he sleeping?" Lionel asked, and Lana nodded.

"Very deeply, too. It's very strange." She replied casting a backward glance at the door. "You said he was drunk?"

"That's what I was told, yes." Lionel said, pursing his lips as he nodded slowly. "I think, Ms. Lang, that if we keep the answers simple, things will go our way." He sat down and stretched. "I think I'll take a nap myself. Wake me, will you, when we get to Metropolis?"

Lana nodded and sat down herself. The weight of the diamond pendant around her neck felt like a sack of bricks, and Lana wondered briefly if she had sold her soul without knowing it. She closed her eyes, and opened her book, ready to lose herself in the clean, honest world of Jane Austen.

Clark could not believe the size of Charybdis. Nearly seven feet tall, and vastly wide across the shoulders. His long hair was dark and inky, flowing around his head like tentacles and like A.C. he had no tail. He held the ring up to Clark's face, watching as Clark recoiled. Something told Clark that the sorcery that had helped before would not be put into play this time.

_:Oh, Otherworlder…what FUN we are going to have…:_ He looked up, and held up two fingers. _:Round Two begins. Place all bets now:_ The crowd cheered, and Clark braced himself with the spear, suddenly feeling the weight of the water crushing in on him. Charybdis bent over and picked up the scourge, swinging it at Clark with no warning at all.

The scourge is a nasty weapon, Clark thought, his hands wrapped in the barbed chains. The barbs cut into his hands, seemingly renewing the toxin every time, because he'd feel a wave of heat course through him. The magic that had protected him returned, and he gathered the chain, inch by inch, until Charybdis dropped the weapon, retreating to the far end of the arena. Clark lifted the scourge over his head, and a scream caused him to look up.

Callista was sailing into the arena, very much herself. She swooped down on Charybdis, grabbing at his hands, while the stunned man tried to fight her off. Two figures, in diving gear dropped into the arena next, and Clark could see Chloe's wide eyes through her mask as she took in the scene around them. Oliver and Chloe reached the floor of the arena, and while Chloe went to Clark's side, Oliver loaded his bow, and with huge effort drew the line back as far and as hard as he could.

Charybdis pushed Callista aside, his right hand streaming gore into the water, and smiled down at Oliver.

_:Your surface weapons mean nothing here.:_ Charybdis laughed, and the arena chortled with him. _:That bolt will be as harmless as a flounder.:_

_:You'd think that, wouldn't you, fish stick:_ Oliver's reply was magically transmitted throughout the arena. _:I can pull this line back to a hundred pounds. Which means it's one nasty flounder once I let it go, water resistance or not.: _Charybdis seemed to consider this, and did not take his eyes from Oliver, as if trying to decide if he was bluffing or not.

Clark felt his wounds heal, and he looked over at Callista, who has spit something into her hand, blood dripping from her mouth. She grinned, and held up Charybdis' finger, with Lex's ring still on it. Clark dropped the scourge and moved beside Oliver, pushing Chloe behind them.

_:It's over.: _Clark said to his tormentor. _:We'll take Persephone and go.:_

_:Go, Otherworlder. But she stays. Her debt to me is not satisfied.:_ Charybdis said, looking at his hand. _:She will pay for this as well, since the Sher'Hedeen is unable to pay for her insult.:_

_:I am capable.:_ Callista spat, Charybdis' blood drifting away from her mouth._ :Your champions are useless- a disgrace to the Sher'Hedeen and me. I will fight you. And when I defeat you, your hold on the daughter of the Royal House will be over.:_

Charybdis seemed to consider this and then waved. _:Go. Take the noblesse with you.: _The crowd roared in defiance, and Charybdis raised his powerful arms. _:One day, though, Otherworlder, we will meet again.:_ He swam up, and released the magic that kept Clark bound to the arena. Chloe had gone to Persephone, and with Callista's help, got the mermaid up off the ground. They all swam to the top of the arena, Callista pausing long enough to toss Charybdis his finger, minus the ring.

_:You might want this:_ She said, as the finger floated toward him. With a small smile, Callista raced to catch up with the group as they made their way out of the arena. As the reached the top, Lori and her small army from Lyonesse appeared. Chloe and Oliver raced for the sub, and Clark swam to the surface with the mermaids.

The dark shape unfurled itself from the distance, again, thrown off by the presence of Atlanteans. But the Leviathan recognized prey in the small ship that propelled itself to the surface. All of the harbingers were gone, and now, the quarry was the surface dwellers. It shrieked, and all of the Atlanteans turned, as Chloe and Oliver's little submarine darted toward the surface.

_:Let her gain no more ground:_ Ronal's voice burst through Clark's mind like trumpet blasts. He looked over at the dark haired young man who resolutely faced the beast in armor that too closely resembled the Leviathan's hide. _:For Lyonesse, For Atlantis:_

The thirty or so that had come with them drew weapons, spears, swords and such.

_:Go, Clark: _Lori said to Clark, urgently. _:You can do no more here. We will subdue her.:_

_:I can't leave you.:_ Clark replied, and Lori smiled, leaning in to kiss him more passionately than she ever had on land. She stared into his eyes, and touched his face._ :Lori, I can't..the thought of losing you…:_

_:I will always be with you, beloved. Go. If I can come to you, I will. Oliver and Chloe will need you to help them escape. We will hold off the beast here. Should we fail, you must be alive to stop her. Please, Clark.:_ Lori pushed him away and toward the surface. She raised a hand in farewell, and then turned, swimming beside A.C. and Ronal to face the Leviathan as she screeched closer to the little group of Atlanteans.

Clark nodded, pushing his way through the water, building up speed. He was flying, and seeing the sub, he knew what he had to do. It was built along the lines of a small helicopter, so Clark grabbed on to the bottom of the vessel and continued to push upward, slowing only slightly.

"I can't control the damn thing!" Oliver swore, and Chloe closed her eyes. A voice, soft and gentle entered her mind. Gisela.

_:Clark is with you, pushing your ship to the surface. Do not fear. You have been a good friend, Chloe. May the Great Mother bless you.:_

_:You sound like you are saying goodbye.: _Chloe looked at Oliver, who was hearing Gisela as well.

_:I am. Oliver, how can I ever thank you:_

_:Stay safe, little one, that's all.: _Oliver replied, taking Chloe's hand in his. _:That's all either of us want.:_

_:None in Atlantis will be safer than I.:_ Gisela said softly._ :Goodbye my friends.:_

Light appeared above them, and soon, they were airborne, and Oliver howled with laughter. He hugged Chloe, and they felt the sub land on the deck of a boat.

Jumping out, Oliver grinned again, thrilled to find himself on his yacht.

"Well, hello." Hal said, handing Oliver a tall drink. "Thought you'd never get here. Found your skipper hung over on the yacht, convinced him the best thing for it was sea air."

"Hal, this is perfect. Where is my harpoon gun?" Oliver said, handing the drink back to his friend. "Need to get it set up on the sun deck….."He darted off to rummaged through compartments looking for what he needed.

Chloe had hopped out of the sub and unzipped her wetsuit to the waist, exposing her blue bathing suit. She took the drink from Hal with a smile, sipping it delicately.

"What's with him?" Hal asked, and the yacht lurched to the side, pushed aside by waves as the Leviathan breached the surface, wings unfurled. She screamed twice, and headed for them. Clark leapt, sailing to her back, and tried to pull her away, using every ounce of strength just to stay on the neck of the monster.

"Keep her still, Clark!" Oliver called, setting the harpoon gun on the stand. "If I can knock her back down, the Atlanteans may have a shot at subduing her!"

"Oliver! Hurry!" Chloe called, grabbing the railing for support.

"Sorry, momma. You have to go back to bed. This is only going to slow you down a little." Oliver said, firing the harpoon gun. It whizzed out with a metallic whine and hit home in one of the beasts shining silver eyes. It screeched in pain, tossing it's neck back and forth until it threw Clark off.

"NO!" Gisela cried, breaching the surface. The Leviathan had dropped back into the water, and the mermaid clambered up the beast, pulling her tail uselessly behind her. When Gisela reached the harpoon, she pulled it out, the deafening squeals of the beast ringing through the sky. She threw her arms around it's huge head and began to sing, her voice soft. The Leviathan cooed, and Chloe gasped as a green light spread over the beast and mermaid, until the mermaid was gone, and the Leviathan sunk beneath the waves. The boat rocked, and Chloe stumbled across the deck, blinded by tears.

"Clark!" She called, and Oliver jumped down, beside her, searching the waves for any sign of their friend. "Clark!"

"Here." Clark answered, climbing up the side of the yacht. "I'm okay."

Chloe went to him, hugging him tightly. "You scared the crap out of me, Kent."

Clark smiled. "That makes two of us, Chloe." He looked over at Oliver. "Nice shooting."

"It's a hobby." Oliver shrugged, putting an arm around Clark's shoulder. "You okay, really? Should we wait for Lori?"

Clark turned. The sea was smooth as glass, and the sky had already begun to clear. A dolphin leapt into the air, the newly shining sun glorious on it's blue grey hide. "No. Let's go home."

"You got it." Oliver said. "And in style too." He kissed Chloe's wet hair. "Come on, Goldilocks. Let me give you the tour." Chloe gave Clark a sad look, but he smiled and shooed her off.

"Go. I'm fine. Really." Clark assured her, and Chloe nodded, looking back at Oliver, who was waiting. With a small giggle and a grin, she took Oliver's hand and allowed him to show her around. Clark walked to the bow of the ship, and watched the dolphins as they raced along side, dancing in the wake. Being alone, he felt tears sting his eyes and let them come. Goodbye, Lori, he whispered, and found himself smiling as one dolphin peered up at him, grinning. It knew something he didn't, and enjoying it's little secret, chittered joyfully, leaping beneath the wake.

Later that night, docked in Key West with plans to fly out the next morning, Oliver and Chloe at sat out on deck, watching the stars. Clark had gone to sleep in one of the state rooms, having said little since his return to the surface. Hal had gone into town with the crew, so they were alone. A shopping trip had outfitted Chloe with some clothes suitable for going home, and she leaned back in the chair, looking up at the sky, which had cleared beautifully.

"Next time I take you out on my yacht, it won't be to fight dragons." Oliver said, and Chloe grinned at him.

"What makes you think there'll be a next time?" She asked, and Oliver laughed.

"No new adventure on the high seas for Captain Chloe?" Oliver asked, and Chloe shook her head. "Aw, that's too bad. We could have sailed to Hawaii. All you'd have to do is say go."

"No thanks. I'll be glad to be back in Metropolis." She sighed, stretching in her chair.

"Chloe, listen." Oliver said, "I've been wanting to tell you something now for a bit, but it's never been the right time. I saw you with Clark earlier, and I just wanted to say, that if you still have feelings for Clark, I'll back out. I mean it. I love you, but I'm not going to stop you from being where you'll be most happy."

Chloe turned and stared at him. "What did you just say?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Goldilocks, I've been in love with you since I met you, pretty much, but if you have feelings for Clark…"

"Oliver, you just said you love me." Chloe gasped. "That is what I heard, right?"

"Yes." Oliver replied. "It's pretty pathetic, I know. But when Lori didn't come back and I know you had feelings for Clark before I came along..and…"

Chloe got up, and sat in Oliver's lap. "You realize how ridiculous you sound, don't you?"

"I wasn't, but I'm starting to think that I was wrong about the whole thing." Oliver laughed. He looked into her eyes. "I'm glad, because I do love you, Goldilocks. I got it really bad."

Chloe smiled, bringing her forehead to his. "I love you too."

Clark sat alone at Crater Lake, tossing pebbles to disrupt the smooth surface of the water. A week had gone by since they had watched the Leviathan sink beneath the surface of the ocean. Clark had visited Lex, who was back to his old self. He had been ranting at Lana for some removal of items from a room in the mansion. Lana had calmly told Lex that the things were in storage, and then welcomed Clark as if the argument had never happened. From what Clark could tell, Lex had no memory beyond waking up on his father's jet, all trace of the mermaid adventure gone from his mind. Instead, he was occupied with some rumor of a hostile takeover of Luthorcorp, so Clark cut his visit short. Eventually, he and Lex were going to have to seriously deal with everything that had gone on, but for now, Clark was content to leave well enough alone.

Clark wished all trace of the mermaid adventure would disappear from his mind. The interment of the Leviathan had played itself out in his dreams since that first night, the sight of Lori between A.C. and Ronal, tears streaming down her face was unbearable. This time, the happiness of others was no consolation. Chloe and Oliver were visibly in love and Clark was happy for them. But he wanted Lori. Wanted her so bad he could sometimes see her, a flash of her in a store window, hear her voice around him. His mother had counseled him about being alone so much, but it was all he wanted.

Footsteps roughed the ground behind him, but Clark didn't turn. If it was Chloe, she'd understand, Lois, he didn't care, and Lana, well, Lana seemed to have her hands full with Lex right now. The new arrival gracefully sank to the ground beside him, and took his hand. She didn't say a word, but Clark closed his eyes, and pulled her close, smelling the ocean breeze in her hair. Lori.

"I heard you missed me." Lori's voice embraced him, restored him. "I saw you, every dream I had this week, you were there." Clark choked on his words, unable to speak, and Lori put her arms around him. "I missed you too, Clark. There were things at home I had to deal with before I could come back. But I'm back now, and I'm here. I can't promise for how long, though. A day, a week, a month…"

"Forever." Clark whispered. Gathering Lori as close as he could. "Forever would be great."

"I'll stay as long as the Great Mother allows." Lori said, reaching up to kiss him as sweetly and urgently as she had the last time. He pulled her closer still, and returned the kiss. She broke the kiss and snuggled into his embrace. "If she grants me forever, I'll not argue"


	13. Episode VS 13 Ledger

**Ledger**

"_Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." _

_**Benjamin Franklin 1706 -1790**_

It was just an ordinary cardboard box, taken from the back room of the grocery store. There was nothing special about it, except for possibly the items it held, and only to the man sitting in the worn leather chair in the faded but clean little editor's office of the Smallville Ledger. To Perry White, the box was the beginning of a whole new chapter in his life. He hadn't applied for the job at the Ledger, and was pleasantly creeped out when he received the offer. While being an editor had never really occurred to him, the Smallville Ledger job could not be turned down for one very significant reason. The same news conglomerate that owned the Smallville Ledger, ALSO owned the Daily Planet. The logic of course, was that just as the major league baseball teams recruited from their triple 'A' and farm teams, when a spot opened on the Daily Planet, Perry could simply transfer up to the "Bigs" again. Perry White was not the kind of journalist who had ever considered writing a book as other 'freelance writers' had. There was always one more story to ferret out, one more daily challenge to write the news that was fit to print and not that simply fit in the space of a column. He lived and breathed the newspaper life, and was glad to have it back. The box was pretty well emptied now. The ubiquitous tools of a writer, a battered copy of "The Elements of Style", Roget's Thesaurus and a huge Oxford Dictionary had been unpacked. The award plaques had already been hung on the wall, along with some photos from the early days. Perry sighed, sitting back in the chair with a loud creak. It was a small newspaper, but the readership was good sized, all of Lowell County and some of the neighboring ones as well. And while it definitely was a step up from X-Styles and paid better than free lance work, he felt his expectations sink.

"Well, Smallville, here I am." Perry said, looking out the window at the busy town center. Big plans aside, it was still a crappy little town in the middle of Kansas. "Somebody shoot me..." Even after three years of sobriety, sometimes NOT drinking had its drawbacks. Like being completely alert and oriented right now. He swiveled away from the window, determined to make the best of this, reminding himself of the future and the Daily Planet. The story of the moment was State Senator Kent. Perry flipped open his notebook and went over his scribbled notes again. He'd met her briefly a few years ago when trying to get an interview with her son for X-Styles. Then, he'd thought she was stunning, and smarter than she let on, letting her belligerent husband take control of the situation. No one was more stunned than Perry when that pretty farmwife took over her late husband's State Senate seat. Perry had also made note of Lionel Luthor's involvement with her. No one was asking "What the Hell?" and that was Perry's particularly favorite question to ask. Even if it meant poking sleeping bears. Dialing the State Legislature building main number, Perry pressed the buttons at the prompts, rolling his eyes. There was a statement to be made about the fall of society and automated response systems, but he wasn't going to make that one now. The extension to Martha Kent's office was found and the connection was made. Two rings, and then a click. "You have reached the office of Senator Martha Clark Kent. Please leave a message, or press #233 to be connected with Lois Lane, or '0' if you feel you have reached this message in error."

"Great Caesar's Ghost..." Perry grumbled, pressing the three digit extension provided. Lois Lane was another anomaly. Barely enough college credits to re-matriculate, the girl had somehow fallen into a pretty nice cabinet position with Senator Kent. And, had made a name for herself as efficient, loyal and smarter than she seemed, even her detractors could not debate those points. Her reputation as a straight shooter would come in handy too, Perry thought. It was rare in political circles, and invaluable to a reporter looking for an in. The phone rang, and was answered on the third ring.

"Lois Lane." Her voice was clipped and professional.

"Miss Lane, Perry White. I'm the new editor in chief at the Smallville Ledger. I was wondering if…"

"Look, I'm not her press secretary," Lois began, and Perry grimaced. "But how can I help you?" She finished, slightly impatient.

"I need a half hour of Mrs. Kent's time when she is back in Smallville. She is pretty popular, and I haven't seen the kind of in depth piece done on her that should have been done when she became Senator." Perry replied. He heard Lois sigh deeply. "Miss Lane?"

"First, call me Lois, everyone does." She snapped genially. "Second, I'd love to have her sit down to interview with you, hell, I'd love her to have an interview with anyone. But she's in a meeting." Distracted by something going on behind her, Perry could hear Lois giving directions in a hushed tone to someone in the office with her. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"When will she be back in Smallville, Lois? I'll have no problem fitting her in then." Perry opened his new appointment book The new book was annoyingly new. He eyed the blank pages, scooped the book up and tossed it in the garbage can.

"Okay." He could hear her reach for something. Pages ruffling. Lois Lane's Day Planner was probably far from empty, Perry thought with a raised eyebrow. Lois whistled absently on the other end of the line. "We'll be heading back tomorrow. She likes to spend the first day back baking, helps clear her head. Why not come by the farm Saturday? If nothing else, maybe you can get her banana bread recipe for the food page."

"Kent Farm, Saturday around 2." Perry flipped open his appointment book and wrote it down. "I like the suggestion for the food page, Lois." It was a good idea, and Perry made a note to ask for the recipe, and also to see if the Ledger back issues had any of her other recipes. He'd make a point to use those in the article, too.

"Good, because I don't know what else you'll get." Lois replied. "But a sweet little article about Martha Kent still being a woman of the people on the food page would really do her some good." The girl went silent, as if weighing her next words before saying them.

Perry sat up, interested. "Does she need that spin right now?"

Lois snorted. "I'll tell you what, Mr. White. Come out to the house on Saturday, and you tell me. See you then." Lois hung up, and Perry replaced the phone in it's cradle. He looked down at the Daily Planet society column. The black and white photo stood out perfectly from the lines of print. Martha Kent, resplendent in an elegant evening gown, leaving a benefit gala on the arm of Lionel Luthor. The headline underneath was all Perry needed to understand Lois' concern. "Socialite Senator!" He clipped the article and picture, and slipped it into the research file he'd started on Martha Kent. Fluff pieces were for rookies, Perry thought, but it was looking more and more that the Martha Kent story had more to it than banana bread and benefit galas.

Clark nodded as Lex's security guard waved him through the gates. Lori was safely up in Metropolis with Chloe, taking in the Metropolis Museum of Art's newest exhibit "Treasures of Camelot – Medieval Art and Artifacts". Chloe was covering it for the Planet, and Lori was glad to keep her company. It was just as well. Until Clark was sure what Lex remembered, he wanted to keep Lori far, far away from his former friend. He made his way to the study, and, for reasons that he attributed to Lana's continued presence in the Luthor Mansion, he knocked on the door.

"Come in." Lex called, and Clark entered, peering around the door. "Clark." Lex rose from his desk. "Have to say, this is quite a surprise. Both the visit and the knock on the door."

Clark smiled in spite of himself, and came into the study. "I didn't want to disturb you if Lana…"

"Oh." Lex nodded, frowning slightly. "I appreciate the manners, even if they were meant for Lana. So, what can I do for you, Clark? I'm sure your buddy Oliver could help you out…"

"No." Clark said firmly. "I wanted to talk to you. Set some things straight."

"I understand. I'd like some answers too. Maybe we can help each other out." Lex walked back to his desk and took out a blue folder, and held it out to Clark across the desk. "This is the insurance company report of the damage at Cadmus. Millions of dollars worth of technology and research lost, and a dead scientist. They've covered everything, of course, and Cadmus is shut down. Permanently." When Clark didn't reach for the file, Lex dropped it on the desk with a loud slap. "Why was my lab destroyed, Clark?" His voice was quiet, but Clark knew that Lex being quiet was Lex at his most dangerous. It also meant that Lex remembered a great deal more than anyone thought he might.

"I don't know." Clark replied calmly, recognizing Lex's lie and countering with one of his own. "Accident maybe."

"Accident." Lex raised an eyebrow. "An accident that destroyed a military grade security system, accident that smashed glass thick enough to hold thousands of gallons of water?"

"Happens all the time." Clark leaned forward, ignoring the folder. "I'm sure there were things going on there that you'd rather not have come to light, Lex." Their eyes met and after a brief moment, Lex chuckled darkly.

"Blackmail? From a Kent? I'm shocked." Lex said, mock horror in his voice. "Or are you just going to beat me up? Cut to the chase, Clark. Why are you here?"

"I'm here to make sure you stay away from my family and friends, Lex. I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt before but now…" Clark straightened, keeping control over the conversation. "You put innocent people at risk for your own gain. You experimented…on people." They both recognized the hesitation at the end of that sentence, but Lex continued if it had not occurred at all.

"The telepathic abilities of your little friends could have helped the blind, the deaf. Think about it, Clark. Millions of mute children able to communicate with their parents, if we'd been able to study the abilities of those girls more closely for a little longer. Your 'accident' was a serious setback to important and expensive research." Lex said, and Clark shook his head, folding his arms over his chest. Clark was resolute. Clark was stone, and Lex found himself just a little daunted as Clark spoke again.

"There are other ways to do that research Lex, if it's that important. Eventually you are going to have to learn that you can't take advantage of people to achieve what you want. As it is, your subjects are gone now." In his mind, Clark could see this conversation being played out over and over again between Lex and himself, over different things, both in the past and in the future. It was a troubling thought.

"Yes, they are." Lex agreed. "Gone where though, Clark?" Lex waited for the typical Kent waffling, playing on that minute hesitation just a moment ago, but to his surprise Clark's voice didn't waiver and his glare only grew deeper.

"Home and safe." Clark's voice held an edge of finality and threat. "That's all you need to know, Lex."

"Really, Clark?" Lex placed his hands on the desk. "You're setting terms now?"

"No, not terms, Lex. Limits." Clark shot back. "This isn't a game. Lives are at stake."

"The last person to set limits with me was my father when I was 13. He wasn't very successful." Lex smiled maliciously. "I don't imagine you'll do much better."

"Just remember what I said, Lex." Clark turned to leave and then looked back at Lex, who had not moved. "Lois told me Lana left you and then came back. I don't know what caused her to leave, or what inspired her to come back, but don't hurt her any more, Lex."

"Still pining over Lana, Clark? Don't you think your current girlfriend would have a problem with that?" Lex said, and for the first time, actually regretted his words immediately. Clark had walked back to the desk, his green-blue eyes blazing, and Lex could feel a very carefully controlled rage pouring off the younger man. He had gone too far. Clark's next words were measured, even and heavy. There could be no mistaking the intent behind them, and Lex found himself wondering when exactly it was that Clark Kent had really and truly grown up and how he could have possibly missed it.

"No. I'm not pining over Lana, Lex. I've moved on. But I won't stand by and let you hurt her, either." Clark shook his head. "Only you know your real reasons are for being with Lana, Lex. Whatever they are, don't hurt her. Do at least that much." Clark turned and walked out of the study. The door slamming shut resounded through the room like a cannon shot.

_:Worthy.:_ The darkness inside Lex almost crooned joyfully as the distant echo of the front door being slammed shut could barely be heard. _:Worthy. It will be the work of a lifetime to destroy such a one.:_ the voice in his mind told him, but Lex pushed it away like a fly. Since he'd come home from the Keys, it had been a great deal easier to subdue that demanding presence. The rage Zod had unleashed within him was hard to live with. But the gift of being able to harness it was proving very useful, so he was willing to leave well enough alone. Lex looked down at the desk, and opened the folder. His memory was cloudy just from the moment he had discovered Lana in what used to be his Clark Kent research room, until waking up on the LuthorCorp jet, but not cloudy enough to block out everything. He was willing to accept he and Lana had reconciled. That wasn't out of the ordinary in relationships, and even though Lex knew the pendant wasn't WHY Lana had forgiven him, he was sure it helped, just as Lex was sure that he had not purchased it. Lex touched the picture of Callista, in her non-aquatic form at a concert in Metropolis. He traced Callista's face and smiled. I remember you, Callista. Someday, I'll see you again, Lex thought, memorizing her form. She haunted him, and Lex could feel a connection with Callista he was sure would not fade anytime soon, even if he were to never see her again. The damage at Cadmus would go away, not just to cover his own ss. It would be an unspoken nod to Clark and Oliver, both of whom had managed to save Lex's life by somehow getting him to the right help. And in a small way, it would be a gesture to appease the lone figure that seemed to only reside in his dreams, a slight, green haired girl that wept over him while he was hurt. Lex didn't know her name, or if she was even real, but hopefully in leaving Clark and Oliver out of the Cadmus mess, she'd be satisfied.

There were other issues on the table, and Lex sat down, closing the file. His father was plotting something, yet again, and Lex wanted to know what it was. Wondering how much memory loss his father was counting on, Lex smirked to himself. Lionel Luthor was going to be very, very surprised when he discovered that Lex wasn't all that damaged after all. The day was coming to balance accounts, Lex thought, and Lionel Luthor was on the top of the list to be dealt with.

Lois tapped Morse code with her foot, looking at her watch. Ten minutes before the closing speeches for this session, and Martha was still in her 'meeting'. Nothing improper went on, Lois was pretty sure of that, but all the time spent with Lionel Luthor was hurting Martha's once spotless reputation at the State capital. People greeted her and she waved, absently, holding the usual stack of folders. Finally, Martha Kent appeared, alone and dignified in a stylish green suit, her auburn hair pulled away from her face with a dark green velvet band. She smiled, seeing Lois waiting, and hurried over faster.

"I'm so sorry, Lois, I really am." Martha sighed, taking the folders. They practically ran to the door of the State Assembly, their footsteps echoing in the

hall. "Anything I need to know about?"

"I have an interview set up for Saturday, at the farm." Lois replied when they stopped at the large bronze doors. "The new editor of the Smallville Ledger wants to meet you, do an in depth piece about you. I told him it was baking day, and he said he thought it was a great idea. Real woman of the people stuff. "

"Oh, baking day..." Martha's green eyes widened. "Lois, I told Lionel I'd go with him to the opening of the new community center that he and Oliver are funding as part of their literacy project in Metropolis. It's a great example of what I want the Senate to pass statewide and Lionel…" She hesitated, seeing Lois' disapproving frown. "What is it?"

"Look, Mrs. Kent, this isn't the right time, but I have to tell you it's IMPORTANT that you are home baking on Saturday. You've gotten enough photo ops with Daddy Luthor to wallpaper the guestroom at the farm. Please listen to me. Let this guy come, take his pictures ask his questions and leave. You need this interview." Lois put a hand on the door, holding it shut. "Mrs. Kent?"

Martha looked down, and then nodded. "You're right. This isn't the right time for this conversation, Lois. We'll talk about it when I get back to the office, okay?" She smiled up at her young friend. "You don't approve of Lionel, do you?"

"No." Lois pulled the door open. "I don't. But neither do they." She looked into the Senate chamber at the other State senators who were being called to order. "And neither do the people that voted for Mr. Kent."

Martha sighed and went into the room, and the large door slowly closed behind her. Lois shook her head, pulling on the hem of her grey jacket. Making a sharp turn that would have General Lane smiling with pride, Lois walked back to her office. When she got there, she informed her secretary that she was not to be disturbed and locked the office door. Going to her briefcase, she opened it and pulled out a large blue leather covered journal, almost the twin to the one she'd given Clark for his birthday. She'd been keeping a journal since her mother died, and with Mr. Kent passing on, Lois thought Clark might have wanted the outlet. Finding her favorite pen, Lois opened the journal and began to write. She wasn't the greatest speller, but having a place to put her thoughts had been extremely helpful, especially since she'd gotten this job. Lois had always liked writing, for herself. Not as much as Chloe, maybe, but something about the rhythm of the actual motion of writing and sound of the pen on the paper was kind of like meditation for her.

Typing on the computer also had that effect, and Lois turned up her computer speakers, listening to the mix of music she'd downloaded. Not a fan of the strummy alt-rock Clark seemed to favor, especially in his mopey moments, or of Chloe's modern techno stuff. For Lois, it was the classics. The familiar guitar and drums of AC/DC's "If You Want Blood" thrummed through her office. When that song came on, Martha's staff knew to stay away from Lois' office.

She tapped her toes in time to the music and finished her entry for the day.

Clark found Chloe and Lori in the museum, pointing at a plain bronze cup, speaking in whispers to each other. It was no surprise, given the name of the exhibit that the cup was supposedly a copy of the Holy Grail itself, and this copy was over 1,000 years old. Lori was pointing out the idiosyncrasies of the engraving and the lack of detail, and Clark wondered if she had, at some point actually seen the Holy Grail itself. He grinned to hear Chloe ask that very question, and Lori, surprised, laughed.

"Well, no." Lori said, her soft accent completely at home amongst the artifacts. "But we have a copy in Lyonesse that is much more accurate, and much older than this one." Seeing Clark, she smiled wider, and held out a hand. "Here's one, Chloe. Now when Oliver gets here, we can get dinner."

"Hey, Clark." Chloe smiled. "Don't know why Lori is taking archeology and art history courses at MetU. She should be teaching them. Thanks to her, my little article on the cool new exhibit may just be an expose on the horrors of art fraud."

"Take it easy on the museum, Chloe." Clark laughed, closing his hand around Lori's.

"They're the victims here, Clark. The people have a right to know…" Chloe offered, and then laughed. "Well, I'm writing both. Pauline Kahn can decide which she wants to print."

"Smart decision." Clark and Lori said together, and they all laughed.

"Every entrance I make should be with a laugh track." Oliver appeared, tie loose and looking more than a little uncomfortable in his expensive suit. "Hello, intrepid reporter." He kissed Chloe, and she grinned.

"Hello, Captain of industry. Clark and Lori are ready to eat." Chloe closed her notebook. 'You?"

"Only if I can stop at the townhouse and change." He looked over at Clark and Lori. "You guys don't mind, do you? If we stop at the store on the way, I can have a pot of the famous Queen family chili going in no time. Might be fun to stay in for a change."

Clark and Lori looked at each other. "Sounds like a plan. We'll get dessert." Clark offered, as Lori nodded eagerly. The four of them walked from the exhibition room, and Chloe looked up at Oliver questioningly.

"Are you really okay, Oliver? You seem frazzled." Chloe asked, and Oliver nodded slowly.

"Yeah, just left a lot undone lately." He smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Nothing to worry about." Chloe bit her lip, looking up at him with a worried expression. "See, like that. Completely unnecessary."

Chloe grinned. "I reserve the right to worry. Girlfriend's privilege. You were odd on the boat too, when you were talking about Persephone needing money. What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm not telling you how much I love seeing you in reporter mode." Oliver said, laughing. "All curious and probing. It's cute, really."

"Oliver." Chloe stopped, taking his hand in hers. "If there was a problem, you'd tell me, right? You wouldn't let me find out about it in the Business section, would you?"

Oliver looked down at her, nodding solemnly. "Yes, Goldilocks I promise. You'd be the very first person I'd tell if there were a problem. I just had actual issues to deal with today as far as the family business goes, and…"He rolled his eyes. "Nothing Business Section worthy, but a hassle just the same. All I want is to stay in tonight with my girl and my friends. Rent a movie or two, eat chili and just relax."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Chloe's smile was soft. "You deserve a night in then."

Oliver hugged her briefly and they walked quickly to catch up with Clark and Lori. Oliver was sure to not let himself think about the problems at Queen Industries around Lori. The stock had dropped quite a bit with all the weird weather last week, and profits had been down already. Oliver hadn't worried too much about his personal fortune, but the company was all that was left of his father and grandfather, and keeping it out of a tailspin was the least he could do. Which would mean infusing it with cash from his personal funds after all. Today hopefully capped the damage, but Oliver wouldn't know until Tokyo's market got the news. Taking his own advice to Chloe to heart, Oliver focused on her hand in his, and her laugh. It was better to not worry about these things anyway. In the end, it all came out even, no matter what you did.

Martha returned to her office after the session and sat down at her desk. Her secretary appeared, as if on cue, with a cup of hot tea.

"Here, Senator." She set the cup down, and Martha nodded, looking up at the young woman with a smile. The tea, softly scented with lemon was comforting, and reminded Martha of afternoons in her father's law office. He always had tea when working on a big case. Less jarring, he'd always told her, and Martha breathed in the fragrant steam, glad that Dad had been right.

"Thanks, Rachel." The secretary grinned, placing phone messages on Martha's desk. "A reporter from Smallville called. He said he'd spoken to Lois, but wanted to confirm the interview with you. Your son called, wanted to let you know that he was in Metropolis with friends, and that he'd be home tonight to look after everything. And…" Rachel grimaced. "I got a strange call from someone who said that Mr. Luthor suggested they call. The name wasn't familiar, but here's the number."

"Oh," Martha put out her bottom lip and looked at the message. "I can't imagine who this would be. Well, thanks, Rachel." Martha looked at the little antique clock on her desk. "We have committee meetings tomorrow and that's it. Might as well call it a night."

Rachel nodded. "I have some shopping to do anyway. All of your presentation materials are ready for tomorrow, Senator Kent. Why don't you knock off early too. You look tired."

"I'm fine." Martha replied, and the girl smiled again and headed toward the door and left, pulling the door shut with a click. Lois would be in very soon, and Martha wanted to think a little about what she had said earlier. It was no mystery that Lois thought both Lex and Lionel were interchangeably untrustworthy, which had been pretty much Jonathan's viewpoint as well, but Clark felt differently, asserting that Lionel had changed. Clark seemed so sure, and Martha also, sensed a significant difference in Lionel. She valued his guidance tremendously. But Lois' concern was valid. Martha was no fool. She'd sensed the change in how she was perceived. At first, she was very much the babe in the woods, and was treated accordingly. Then as she proved herself, Martha found she had gained a level of respect. Now, as her friendship with Lionel was more and more exposed, Martha could feel that respect slipping away. It didn't matter to that the relationship was not at all romantic, at least on her end. Martha dropped her head into her hands. Thinking of Jonathan, she looked up at the picture of he and Clark that she had framed on her desk.

"What would you do, Jonathan? I could really use a hint." Martha asked his picture and frowned at his enigmatic smile. The phone rang and Martha smiled herself. _Well, Mrs. Kent, that phone isn't going to answer itself…_'You'd answer the phone. That's what you'd do." She picked up the receiver. "Martha Kent."

'Senator Kent? This is Perry White." Martha felt herself recoil. Remembering his ruthless pursuit of Clark, her hand hovered over the phone, ready to break the connection. "Before you hang up, I have to tell you something. Will you give me two minutes?"

"You have one minute." Martha said stonily drawing her hand back, and Perry chuckled.

"Fair enough. I'm the editor of the Smallville Ledger now, and I wanted to do a piece on you." Perry told her. "I talked to your Chief of Staff and she said Saturday was good, but I don't want to come out to the house unless YOU say it's okay. Otherwise, I could maybe afford coffee and a doughnut at the Talon, but only if I'm nice. And I don't go when Ms. Lang is there."

Martha sighed, but she smiled a little too. "She has reason to not like you, Mr. White."

"I know that. So do you and Clark have reason. That's why I'm calling. Things are different for me now. 'One day at a time,' and all that." He paused, but Martha didn't say anything, so Perry continued. "This is mainstream journalism. No more X-styles or tabloid crap. What do you say?" Perry asked, fidgeting with pencils on his desk, finally knocking over the whole cup. "Besides, my sources say you make damn fine banana bread."

Martha laughed. "Jonathan loved my banana bread." She looked at her late husband's picture again. Her breath caught a little, because it certainly did seem he was answering her desperate question. "I should be back from Wichita tomorrow night. I'll meet you at the Talon at eight. I have enough pull with Lana to keep you from getting kicked out, I think. And I'll pay for my own coffee. "

"Great." Perry nodded, wanting to do the wave like they did at the baseball games

after a home run. "And a front row seat for baking day with Senator Kent? I'm a very willing taste tester. I understand the editor of the Ledger gets to be a judge at the County Fair, too. I can use the practice with home cooked food."

"Let's get through coffee first." Martha smiled in spite herself. Perry sounded the same, quick talking and persuasive, but Martha could tell he was sincere.

"Fair enough. That's all I ask. Okay, tomorrow, eight o'clock. I'll be the one dodging the killer looks of the owner. 'Bye, Senator."

"Good bye, Mr. White." Martha hung up, and looked at Jonathan's picture again. She knew it was her imagination, but he seemed to be smiling wider all of a sudden.

Lana walked out to her parent's grave and knelt beside it. The sun was going down, a perfect summer sunset, with crickets chirping in the background. She'd been coming out here a lot lately, and the grave was perfectly landscaped. Placing the small bouquet of summer flowers in the little urn she'd filled with water, Lana sat back on her heels and looked at their headstone. Just to her left, Mr. Kent's grave, also impeccably kept, stood alone and empty. Frowning, Lana pulled a handful of flowers from the arrangement she brought for her parents and walked over to Mr. Kent's grave. She stooped to pick up the little glass jar to fill it at the tap. When Lana returned, she set the vase back and put the flowers in. Lana thought back to that terrible night that Mr. Kent had died, fighting with Clark, nearly getting killed herself. Lana tried hard to remember exactly where it was that things started spiraling out of control, but she couldn't. It all blended together into a hopeless blob of misunderstandings, rushed judgments and miscommunication.

"Mr. Kent, I…" Lana looked over at her parent's grave again, feeling slightly disloyal. "I need to talk to you. Sometimes, there are things I just can't talk to my parents about." She smiled, a little embarrassed. "I guess that's silly. But I always looked up to you, and wished you were, well, that I had a father like you. I'm in over my head, Mr. Kent and I feel like I'm drowning. Ever since Clark and I ended our relationship, things have been out of control for me. It's not his fault, although I thought it was. There is so much that I don't understand, about anything. I've been alone for so long – I know, there's been Aunt Nell, but I always felt like I had to struggle to get out from under her. My dream to leave Smallville was HER dream for me. All my life I've been defined by how people saw me, and not by who I really am. Now with Lex…it's all so confusing, and I don't know how to make it right."

"Start small." A male voice said from behind her, and Lana jumped, frightened. Henry Small stood there, looking sheepish and rumpled. "I saw you here, and thought I'd say hello. We're over there." He gestured with the bouquet of sunflowers he was holding toward the Small family plot. "But, the best way to get a grip on a big situation you are in is to start in small chunks. Mark Twain said it best, 'The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.' I take that advice every day. "

Lana blinked. "I, well, thanks." She shrugged, smiling. "I didn't expect to get real advice tonight, but…I don't know if you knew about Jonathan Kent dying last year."

"I read about it." Henry sighed. "He was a good man, from what I knew of him. Lana, I'm glad I ran into you. I was wrong to let you just disappear the way I did. I really handled it badly. Finding out you were my daughter was a big shock for both of us." He held out the sunflowers. "Look, you take these. I'd rather they were really brightening up someone's day instead of out here."

Lana took them with a small smile. "Thanks. How is your wife?"

"Um, fine, I guess. We were divorced two years ago." Henry told her, looking a little lost. "It was for the best. I've been keeping up with you through town gossip. Co-owner of the Talon. Pretty nice."

"I guess." Lana looked over at the tall, red marble obelisk that marked the Small family plot. "You should go make your visit before it gets dark. The caretaker really doesn't like anyone in here after sunset."

"Right." Henry turned, looking at the obelisk. "You know, I really think it might be better if I spent some time visiting with my living family. You busy?" He smiled shyly, and Lana recognized something very familiar there. Henry Small had that same little seed of insecurity she did, and Lana suddenly felt the same desire, to spend time with living family.

"I can't think of anything I have to do right now." She replied, smiling. "We have fresh pie at the Talon."

"Sounds great." Henry's smile widened. "Pie sounds perfect.'

Lori's eyes sprung open. The dorm room was dark and quiet, except for Chloe's even sleeping breaths, curled up in the other twin bed across the room. She sat up, pushing the sheets and blanket back and walked silently to the bathroom. Closing the door, Lori flipped on the light and stared at her reflection. Nothing was different, she was still herself. Sighing, Lori filled the sink with water and peered down, concentrating past the silver drain.

The dream came back to her, and Lori saw Gisela emerge from the Leviathan, glowing phosphorescent green in the gloom of the crevasse. Curling her tail, Gisela rested on a nearby rock, singing softly. The Beast groaned and shuddered, falling to sleep again. Ronal's voice beside her was what made Lori start awake, hearing him speak the prophecy written before Atlantis had even felt the first tremors that led to it's sinking. Lori opened the drain and sat down on the edge of the tub. She listened to the water go down the pipes, and with it she bade her troubled heart to go too. No summons from Atlantis, in dreams or otherwise would make her go back now. It was too soon.


	14. Episode VS 14 Summon

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 14 – Summon 

"_Love is born with solar flares  
From two magnetic poles  
It moves towards a higher plane  
Where two halves make two wholes  
Like a force of nature  
Love shines in many forms  
One night we are bathed in light  
One day carried away in the storms"_

"_**The Speed of Love"- Rush Counterparts (1993)**  
_

Lori sat in the reserved reading room at the Metropolis Library, the sunlight streaming in on her from the stained glass window above her. The manuscript before her was old, and it had taken some convincing for the librarian to remove the scroll from it's protective case. Lori traced the illumination at the top of the page with a gentle, gloved hand. The white gloves were the librarian's idea, to protect the ancient parchment from the oils in her fingers. Lori would have worn anything the librarian said to get a chance to study this particular scroll, though. The possibility of staying with Clark forever was tantalizing and Lori was investigating every legend, myth or rumor she could to find a loophole that would allow her to remain on land forever. The dream of Gisela was too real, and Lori knew the prophecy as well as anyone. Lori read the ancient words, her lips moving as she whispered to herself. Steps echoed across the room as Clark walked toward her and Lori looked up to watch him approach. In the almost medieval surroundings of the library Clark seemed slightly off, a warrior amongst clerics, and Lori smiled at him softly. He returned her smile with one of his own, open and uncomplicated, sliding into the seat opposite hers as the hawkish librarian eyed him for potential trouble.

_:I got your message: _Clark thought at her and Lori grinned proudly. The connection between them had it's uses. Especially now in the monastic library. _:Are you ready to go:_

_:Yes. I just have to return this manuscript to the librarian. I'll be right back and we can go.:_ Lori rose, rolling up the scroll with a practiced hand. A shrill, almost electronic wail burst through the room, and she looked around, alarmed. No one seemed to hear it. No one, except Clark. He had dropped his head between his hands trying to block the noise out. Face contorted with pain, Clark's eyes met Lori's, full of something Lori could not define other than pleading. Even his thoughts became indistinct and alien. Where Lori heard the sound as merely annoying, it was causing Clark a great deal of pain.

"Clark!" Lori said aloud, breaking the pristine silence around her in horror. The librarian hurried over, clucking about quiet. Lori quickly handed the scroll and gloves to the woman, pushing her away regally. "Are you okay?" She reached for Clark, but he writhed away from her, struggling to his feet.

"Lori, I …" He rose, knocking the chair backwards with a crash. "I have to.." Clark looked around. "There's something here…something of MINE."

"Yours?" Lori put her arm around his waist, trying to steady him on his feet. The sound had grown more urgent and harsh. Clark gritted his teeth against a roar of pain; Lori could feel it strain against his back and ribs. "Do you think someone here is concealing it?" She began to probe the minds of the benign seeming people around them, gently picking through their thoughts. Lori tightened her grip around Clark, and he seemed to collect himself enough to stand upright and begin to breathe more normally again.

"No…the museum.." Clark gasped as the sound suddenly stopped. "You heard that? Did it..hurt you?"

"Of course I did, and no, it was bothersome but not painful. I wonder that they didn't hear it, these others." Lori replied, puzzled as the few people around them shook their heads at the distraction Clark had caused. "The movie can wait. Let's go over to the museum and see if we can find the source of that alarm."

Clark nodded, putting his arm around her shoulders. He looked down at her, admiring her steely determination. "Protecting me?"

"If necessary." Lori grinned at him, her aquamarine eyes sparkling. "You are not infallible or indestructable." They had walked out of the library and into the warm Metropolis afternoon. "What caused that noise, Clark? You said it was yours and at the museum."

"A Kryptonian artifact of some kind." Clark looked around. "When the noise stopped, though, it just disappeared. I have no idea where it came from now."

Lori frowned. "Like hunting for an amphipod in a kelp bed."

"Or a needle in a haystack, yes." Clark grinned at Lori's perplexed expression. "Don't mind looking for this thing instead of going to the movie?"

"Of course not." Lori gazed off in the direction of the Natural History museum. "But are you sure it's here? There are three museums in this area."

'I think we can rule out the art museum." Clark said, "and the city museum is just about Metropolis. The Natural History museum might be the best bet."

"Well, I'd like to see the dinosaurs anyway." Lori smiled. "I have been told that they were only imaginary."

Clark laughed, and pulled her closer, kissing her temple. "In that case, even if we don't find whatever it was that was calling out to me, you can see for yourself if dinosaurs were real."

"Mr. Queen, the board and I truly appreciate the work you are doing in Metropolis, but we are in serious trouble here." Oliver listened to his Chairman of the Board sigh deeply. "I've always admired your philanthropic activities, son, really. But Queen Industries needs you. The relationship you are building with Luthorcorp won't amount to much if we have to close down."

"You're right." Oliver nodded. "I'll fly out Sunday. I have some things I need to tie up here first. You can always get me on my cell phone until then. Any relevant documents, email to me, and I'll look them over."

"Of course, Oliver." The Chairman of the Board said. "The news from London was promising today, and now that weather has improved, we can get those ships back out and hopefully this will all be a bad dream next week."

"Works for me." Oliver replied, "I'll go right to the office Sunday, to get myself straight, but let's get together Monday morning to line up our options." He hung up and turned, looking around. Packing was already underway, and the plane was waiting at Metropolis Municipal. The last time Oliver felt this nervous was when he and his father had been shipwrecked years ago. Came through that with a useful skill, Oliver told himself bitterly, looking at his quiver and bow near the door. He slapped his shirts into the suitcase, not really caring much about wrinkles. His thoughts were on his company, his family legacy, and Chloe. Leaving her was really not what he'd had in mind, and the long distance relationship idea was great while he could send a plane for her whenever she wanted, or just surprise her. The situation was hairy though, and the first thing to go would be random trips to Metropolis. Oliver stopped packing and sat down on the bed. He took out his phone again, and dialed Chloe. He'd promised her that she'd get any bad news from him, and he didn't want to deal with this alone. It was a cowardly attitude, Oliver thought to himself, but he finished dialing Chloe anyway, and when she answered, he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey," Oliver could hear her smiling, and he sighed. This was going to suck. Majorly. "Going to meet your favorite journalism intern for lunch?"

"Chloe, can you get here? I have to talk to you about something." Oliver asked. 'I know you are probably busy, but it's Friday. Think Pauline Kahn will blow a fuse if you leave early?"

"It's no big deal. It's dead here today." Chloe looked around her at the activity in the basement. Even on a slow news day, The Daily Planet was humming. "They may not even notice I'm gone." She stood, pulling her bag over her shoulder and looked at her watch. "I'm leaving now."

"Great." Oliver nodded. "See you in a few minutes."

They hung up, and Oliver started packing again, thinking of the past few weeks and how much had gone on. None of it really mattered except for meeting Chloe. It would all make quite the story to tell their grandchildren, though. Oliver grinned at the thought, and finished packing before Chloe got there. He heard her let herself in, and in a moment, Chloe appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, her eyes huge.

"Did you see this?" She held up the Daily Planet Business section. "QUEEN INDUSTRIES REPORTS RECORD DROP IN EARNINGS, MAY HAVE TO CUT BACK 1500 JOBS BEFORE END OF QUARTER." "The article said you were here in Metropolis, but had no comment."

"I don't." Oliver took the paper from her without reading the article and tossed it on the bed. "Not to them. I told you I'd tell you first. The family business is struggling, Chloe. I have to go back…I should have gone two weeks ago."

"But you, are you okay?" Chloe asked, and Oliver nodded.

"I'm solvent, if that's what you mean. I can afford to keep up the house, and with judicious investments, probably never have to work again. I don't even have to sell my yacht. But I owe it to the old men to keep their company going until my son can squander it away." Oliver laughed bitterly and Chloe grabbed his hand.

"No, Oliver. I mean YOU. Are you okay, but by the way you said that, I can see the answer is no." She pulled him close and hugged him hard. "I'm here, Oliver. What ever happens."

Oliver swallowed hard. "I'm glad, Goldilocks, because I can stand losing the company as long as you're still with me." He closed his eyes and felt her mold herself against him. "Come with me."

"To Seattle? Now?" She pulled away a little and craned her neck up to look at him. "I'm in summer classes, and my internship…"

"Come with me now." Oliver said solemnly. "It's still early enough for you to withdraw from your summer classes and get your tuition back. The internship is a matter of a phone call, and you'll be at the Seattle Times like that." Oliver snapped his fingers. "Your dad thinks it's a brilliant idea."

"I know he does." Chloe smiled, thinking of Gabe's disappointment when Chloe had told him she wasn't moving to Seattle. "He has a job offer out there too. But to just leave everything behind?" She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Do you even realize that the Daily Planet is what I've wanted my whole life? And do you know how crazy it sounds, you asking me to just give that up and go with you?"

"I do. You know what?" Oliver asked her, his voice irritated and cutting. "I do. And that's why I feel like a complete jerk asking you. I'm trying to not take over your life, Chloe. I'm totally capable of being a selfish jerk and I'm trying to be better than that. I want you with me all the time. Not just sometimes. Not just every other weekend if either of us can get away. I want the old fashioned way, you and I together, in the same city. I'd marry you tomorrow if my head wasn't so screwed with all this company business, and I could be sure that it wasn't just because I was afraid to lose you."

"You just said you'd marry me." Chloe said, her hands falling from her hips in shock. "That is what I just heard, isn't it?"

"You heard right, Goldilocks. I know what I said. And I mean it too. I think." Oliver turned away and walked to the doorframe, hitting his head against it twice. "I'm a freaking mess."

"No." Chloe went to him, and rested her head against his back. "I'm sorry, Oliver. Of course you're scared."

"I don't give a crap about the company, in the end of it all." Oliver said, still facing the doorframe. "I'll have more time for the things I really want to do. I just don't want to lose you, Chloe."

"You aren't going to. Let's deal with one thing at a time." She moved around him to slide between Oliver and the doorframe. Smiling, she put her arms around his neck. "Hi."

Oliver smiled down at her. "Hi." There was a long stretch of silence as they stood looking into each other's eyes, and finally Chloe sniffed, pressing her face against his shirt.

"I don't like you going away either, Oliver." She said sadly, and he closed his arms around her. "I'm going to miss you so much." She looked up into his dark green eyes again and Chloe realized that no matter what, she couldn't be far from him right now. To do that would be like not being able to breathe. "Okay." Chloe nodded. "Okay. I'll go with you, just to check everything out. Not forever. "

Lois made her way through the State Senate building in Wichita. The Senate was on a two-week break, but there were still committee meetings and such before she and Martha could head back to Smallville. The two-week break for Lois would be spent on vacation with Lucy, who had come back to the US and was living in the Hamptons with a bunch of friends from school. Lois was looking forward to the sun, sand and time with her sister. Having failed to convince Chloe to come too, Lois had nearly succeeded in luring Lana in for the trip, but a reconciliation with Lex had kept Lois friendless for the trip. Shrugging to herself, Lois went into her office, sat down at her desk and picked up the phone to try again at coercing Chloe to leaving her boyfriend and spending a week on the shores of the Atlantic.

There were voices on the line, and when Lois looked down, she realized that she had opened up someone else's line by mistake. She covered the mouthpiece with her hand, and went to hang up when she paused, listening.

"…the publicity alone is killing her, but once everything falls into place, she's not going to be able to be president of the garden club in that town she's from." A male voice said, and Lois frowned. "She's not going to go easily, though."

"I know. Look, don't worry, okay? When the next session starts, Martha Kent will be in this up to her neck." Lois' eyes widened, and she looked down at the blinking light on her phone. It was Rachel's line, but Martha's secretary was supposed to be gone for the break. "The issue in question is being brought up in the committee meeting today."

'So, I'll go to press, then." The man said, and the woman sighed.

"No. It's too soon. Don't you get it? This has to break before the Senate resumes. I'm going to go before someone sees me here…" Lois slowly hung up the line and went to her door. Her secretary was at her desk, playing on the internet. Usually, Gayle was busier than that, but since they were going to be off, Lois didn't care. Plus, they were the same age, and Lois felt weird pulling rank on someone she'd gladly have as a friend.

"Hey, Gayle." Lois whispered. "Did Rachel come in today? Someone was using her phone. I wanted to ask her something about Senator Kent's presentation today."

The blonde turned around, frowning. "No, but that new consultant was at her desk."

Lois nodded. "Right. Did you help put together the presentation for the committee meeting today?"

"Yes. I bound them for Rachel. Copies for everyone, and the records. I left yours on your desk." Gayle's frown deepened. "Didn't you see it there?"

"Great, thanks." Lois went back to her desk and picked up the presentation. All of Martha's education proposal was there, and nothing looked out of the ordinary. She leafed through it, and then stopped, coming to the proposed spending for the project. The dollar amount was way out of line and sitting down, Lois took out a pen. She circled just the things she recognized as odd, having gone over this plan for weeks with Martha before time. Dropping the pen, Lois looked back down at the pages. The last half, the part none of the senators would read until they got home, was completely new and out of line with Martha's plan. Lois stood, taking the booklet with her. She stalked out of her office. "Hold my calls, and Gayle, find that consultant. I'm going to see if I can find Senator Kent."

"I'm on it, Lois." Gayle nodded, switching their phones to voice mail and moving in the direction of Martha Kent's office. Lois strode out of the office and out into the corridor, her heels clicking purposefully as she moved down the hall. She found Martha deep in conversation with another senator, just as the committee meeting was letting out.

"Senator Kent, could I have a word with you?" Lois smiled at the other senator, whose eyes, as most of the male senators did, had gone from her face to her chest in record time. "And Senator Johannsen, tell your wife that tip she gave me at the state commission dinner last Tuesday was very helpful."

He cleared his throat. "What was that?"

Lois smiled brightly. "To mention her whenever you decide to not look at my face." Senator Johannsen flushed, and Martha grabbed Lois by the arm, calling out goodbyes over her shoulder as she pulled her chief of staff away.

"Lois, really!" Martha began, and Lois shook her head.

"Mrs. Kent, you have bigger issues. Did you look at that whole presentation?"

Lois opened the booklet to the questionable pages. "Like this?"

Martha took the book and put on her glasses. Her eyes narrowed then widened in realization. "These aren't my figures."

"I know. You've been sabotaged. We have to get back to Smallville and you need to do that interview with Perry White." Lois insisted. "And you need to stay away from Lionel Luthor. All the quotes for services are from Luthorcorp only."

"It looks like I'm serving special interests. Damn." Martha gasped. "I'll call Lionel, he's…"

"Are you listening to me?" Lois asked, her voice slightly shrill. "You have to get back to Smallville. You have to do that interview with Perry White. I'll find out what's going on with this." Lois held up the sabotaged proposal. "Whatever you do, stay away from Lionel Luthor right now. Until we figure out who is trying to do this to you. Please, Mrs. Kent."

"Okay." Martha said after a long pause. "I'll go back to Smallville and meet with that reporter. But you call the minute you find anything out at all."

"Yes ma'am." Lois saluted. "I won't let you down."

Clark and Lori walked up the marble steps of the Natural History Museum hand in hand. When they got to the doors, Clark reached out for the handle and fell forward, the screech blinding him to all sensation except pain. Unable to keep his balance, Lori caught him, and led Clark to the steps, guiding him down to sit on the step. She took her hand in his, and clasped it tightly, focusing hard on his breathing. Carefully, taking great pains to not read anything other than the signal he was receiving, Lori spoke to Clark, seeing the waves of sound as they ripped into him demanding to be heard. It made Lori wonder how long Clark had been practicing at blocking this signal out. The severity was punishing, she could feel it _through_ Clark and could hardly bear it.

_:Love, can you hear me: _ Lori's voice cut through the pain Clark was feeling enough for him to nod. _:Concentrate. I'm going to follow your thoughts to where this object is. Can you help me:_

Again, Clark nodded through the pain that twisted itself around his brain. The object did not come to him as an image, but it's energy signature was plain to him. Lori felt the energy and leaned her head against Clark's, gently bringing her free hand to his forehead. Her mind translated the energy to an image instantly. It was a cylindrical blue crystal, stored in a lead box, which had been opened by a geologist inside the museum. The noise was coming from vibrations within the stone itself, and Lori reached out, trying to decipher the pattern of the vibration. As soon as she could recognize a translatable pattern, the crystal stopped transmitting. Lori backed out of Clark's mind, shaking off the remnants of his pain as she went. She was no healer, as Gisela was, but this kind of trauma she could do something about.

"Did you see it?" Clark asked weakly, and Lori nodded, kissing his hand. "So what do we do?"

"A blue crystal. It's a dark blue crystal, about so long." She illustrated the distance with her hands. "It's not what wants you, Clark. It's calling to you like a beacon, but it's only a relay." Lori said, going over the information in her mind. "What ever has been trying to reach you is tired of being ignored."

"Jor-El." Clark dropped his head into his hands. "He wants me up at the Fortress."

"Your father, who is dead, can speak to you from the afterlife?" Lori whispered reverently. "He is powerful. You cannot defy him."

"I've spent a lot of time defying him." Clark stood, helping Lori to rise too. "I'd better go see him. You can come with me, if you want. "

"I'd love to." Lori began, and then she frowned. "I think I should not go, though. I have no wish to be disrespectful."

"Why? Oliver has been there." Clark smiled, and Lori hugged herself, eyes wide.

"Then I should definitely NOT go." Ever a princess of her race, Lori straightened, pushing her long hair from her shoulders. "I will not disgrace you."

"Lori." Clark touched her cheek softly. "Never. You could never disgrace me. I have to remind myself every day why you are here with ME." He smiled. "Why are you?"

"You are…" Lori's eyes pulled him closer, making Clark feel pleasantly dizzy. Her voice was magic, filling him with warmth and confidence. "everything wonderful and fine to me. Wholly good and beautiful." She raised her hands to his face. "And all in the world I'll ever want or need. How could I not desire to be near you?"

Clark felt his heart race and he put his hands on her waist, drawing Lori closer. She smiled, and he felt the words that took him forever to say to Lana burst from him as naturally as the breath that carried them out to her. "Lori, I love you…"

"Clark." Lori kissed him four times, once for each word he had said. "I know. I've loved you from the very first moment I saw you." The world around them seemed to vanish, traffic noises, the people walking up the stairs, the approving smiles of other couples who remembered that first heady moment, and the giggles of the schoolchildren. It was all gone. All Clark knew was the girl in his arms, the taste of her lips on his, and the silken rose-gold of her hair that blew in the early summer breeze around them like wings. Anything else just faded to the background of this moment Clark would remember forever.

Lionel Luthor looked at the petite young woman before him in shock. Lana Lang, hesitant and shy, had handed back the token of their agreement with a resolution that Lionel had seen rarely in men twice her size. Lillian would have been very, very sorry to see this girl get away, Lionel thought, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Miss Lang. I know you've been at a loss since I haven't explained fully what the purpose of you staying with my son was. I understand completely your hesitancy."

"It's not just hesitancy." Lana replied, swallowing. "I can't act against my conscience, Mr. Luthor. Lex is not the man I thought he was. I have to protect myself a little. I know you have a plan, and I'm sorry that I can't help you with it." Her face was solemn. "I'm going back to Smallville now to talk to Lex."

"No need, my dear. He's here, in his office." Lionel said, gesturing to the door. "Perhaps the timing is not so bad at that." He picked up the necklace and offered it to her. "This belongs to you."

Lana looked at the necklace as if it were a snake, coiled to bite her. "NO. I never want to see that kind of jewelry again." She shuddered, but held out a hand to Lionel. "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor."

"Miss Lang." Lionel took her hand and bowed over it a little. Lana drew her hand back and left. She looked down the hall at the large mahogany doors, and then to the bank of elevators. Taking a deep breath, Lana walked to the doors, ignoring Lex's secretary, and walked into his office.

Lex was standing at the windows, back to the door. "I wondered how long it would take you to leave my father's office. What did he want?"

"I needed to speak to him." Lana replied, fighting the ice that ran through her veins at the sight of him standing there like that. He reminded her of the dark days when that Zod looked out at her from his cool grey eyes and Lana could not shake that violated feeling now. "But I also need to talk to you. It's about us…"

"Really leaving this time?" Lex asked, no trace of irony at all in his voice.

"Yes." Lana said, unwelcome tears in her eyes. "God, Lex. I'm so over my head in your world. I don't belong here. It's not right. Maybe if I were from your world, I'd understand more, but I'm just a simple person from a small town. I wanted to help you, to give you something to fight for…"

"Fight for? Do you have any idea how many years I've played lap dog to your whims? Buying the Talon so you could stay, helping you go to Paris, giving that half-wit Teague a job so he wouldn't have to leave Smallville? I did that and more, for you. To give you a chance to thrive in my world."

"You wanted me because Clark once loved me." Lana said, blinking away the sentimental tears. "It was never about me, Lex. I was just a symbol, an avatar for something else." She sighed. "I care about you so much and I am so grateful for every kindness you've shown me. But you are going some place I can't follow and I can't stop you."

Lex turned and stared at her for a long time. "If that's what you want."

Lana nodded. "It's what I want." He walked toward her and stopped at his desk. Lana closed the distance between then, stopping an arms length away. "Goodbye, Lex."

He blinked and smiled a little. "Gave your necklace back to my father, didn't you?"

"Yes." Lana's voice was small. "I should have never taken it. I told myself that you would have given it to me if you had thought of it."

He reached out to take her hand. "Goodbye, Lana." His hands were cool, and the delicate pressure was gone before Lana could register that Lex had even touched her at all.

"Goodbye, Lex." She kissed his cheek quickly and left the office, not looking back. Moments after Lana was gone, Lex's secretary appeared in the doorway.

'I called the jeweler. He said…" She began, and jumped against the door as everything on Lex's desk crashed to the floor. Rage twisted his handsome face, making Lex monstrous.

"Did I ask you to make that call?" His voice echoed in the sparsely decorated office. "DID I?"

"N..n..no, Mr. Luthor…I'm sorry.." she replied, hands over her face. Seeing her, Lex straightened and forced himself into a restrained pose. 

"Call my lawyer. Tell him that I want to sign over some property." Lex said calmly. He picked up his briefcase. "Have him meet me out at the Smallville house to sign the papers." He walked past her and she cringed, afraid to let even the hem of her sleeve come into contact with him. Lex stopped, and looked into her face, studying her. "And take off Monday."

"Yes, Mr. Luthor." The secretary nodded, resolving to use her day off to find a new job.

Martha walked into the Talon fifteen minutes before her appointment with Perry White. For the most part, she liked to get to meetings early. Being the first one there helped give an authoritative air and that much Martha had known before she'd ever met Lionel Luthor. Apparently, Perry White also believed in being early, because Martha saw him, sitting as promised, at the table most likely to be completely ignored by the wait staff. She paused taking a minute to study him. He was leaner than she remembered, his hair a color Martha had always thought of as mousy brown, combed back and away from his face. He was wearing city clothes, a tweed sports coat with a collared shirt and jeans that had never seen a day of hard farm work. When Martha had first seen him, Perry White had reminded her of nothing more than a bloated ferret; now he seemed keenly on his game, and he seemed neither bloated or ferrety. She backed away, wondering if her nerves over today's turn of events would be glaringly obvious.

"He's apologized." Lana's voice startled Martha and the older woman jumped, turning sharply around. Lana stood there, holding a small box of what looked like personal belongings. Lana smiled and nodded toward Perry. "When he came in. Walked right over to me and said he wanted to be on the good side of the person who made the best coffee in town. He seems like he's changed."

"I have an interview with him…" Martha's eyes darted back to where Perry was sitting. He was reading notes and seemed to not notice her at all.

"He said." Lana peered up at Martha, her face full of concern. "Are you okay, Mrs. Kent? Do you need some water? You're all flushed."

"No, no." Martha smiled, "Thank you, honey. I'm fine. Just some tea, please."

"Lemon, right?" Lana nodded and moved off, carrying her box of things to the back. Taking a deep breath, Martha turned to walk to the table and nearly collided with a man standing in front of her. She looked up and found herself face to face with Perry White. He grinned a little and stepped back, giving her some room.

"You looked lost. I found the most secluded table, and when I saw you standing there, I thought maybe I did too good a job at being invisible." He extended a hand. "Senator, it's a privilege."

"OH, please." Martha smiled. "I'm only Martha here, Mr. White." She shook his hand.

"Well, in that case, I'm just Perry. Only Martha and Just Perry." He winked and Martha couldn't help but smile. "Won't you sit down?" He led her to the table. "I don't see your loyal Chief of Staff. Didn't she come with you?"

"Lois? No. She stayed in Wichita to do some work she had piled up. She'll be back in Smallville." Martha told him. "Did you need her for the interview, because I can call her..."

"Please, Martha...no." Perry said, waving a hand. "Don't be all nervous, either. This is strictly a meet and greet. I'm holding out for banana bread lessons tomorrow." A waitress came, carrying Martha's tea and a plate of pastry. Martha looked up and the waitress, a girl she vaguely remembered being called Colleen, grinned.

"Lana said you needed lemon squares." The girl said, nodding at the plate. "And Mr. White, she said that the cookies are on the house." She walked away, tucking her tray under her arm and left Martha and Perry alone.

"Well, Perry, I'm flattered that you want to interview me, but there really can't be anything that this town needs to know about me that they don't already know." Martha said, sipping at her tea.

"Think so?" Perry asked. "I think they may want to know what it's like for a woman who has so valued her privacy to all of a sudden be in public life." He picked up his coffee, looked at it and set it back down, reaching for his note pad instead. "You used to work for Lionel Luthor, didn't you?"

"Yes, ages ago..." Martha began, and Perry put on his glasses, squinting through them at the hastily scribbled notes. He looked up at her over the glasses. "I stopped working for him when my husband asked me to. He and Lionel never agreed on anything."

"Uh huh." Perry nodded. "And you don't think anything about being privy to those two very opposite points of view is interesting to anyone? I think it's damn interesting." He took off his glasses. "You should have been in every newspaper in the country when your husband died, Martha. It's happened before, but a farmer's wife taking his hard-won state Senate seat for him after his death is a pretty big story."

"I'm not really comfortable...with the press." Martha squirmed a little in her seat, and Perry nodded.

"Right, right, I remember. Kent family – very private. Should be proud of your boy, quite the football hero around here." This time he picked up his cup and sipped the coffee. "Don't remember why I thought he was odd. Guess it was the booze and stress." Perry looked back down at his notes, and put his glasses back on with a grunt.

"This can't be about Clark...' Martha said, and Perry shook his head.

"Not at all. This is about –'Who is Senator Martha Clark Kent?' 'How she did get there, why she took the seat, what will she do to counter her new image as a society darling?'" Perry rattled the questions off in the staccato of an old time radio announcer. He set his pad down. "The people do definitely want to know."

Martha laughed. "In that case, I couldn't possibly disappoint them, could I?"

"Well, you could." Perry took his glasses off, sliding them into his jacket pocket with a sad expression Martha doubted was sincere.

"How?" She made her eyes wide, and watched him smile.

"By not letting me be taste tester tomorrow. It would have given the interview the human angle to put it over the top." Perry shook his head despondently. "I could just do a straight forward, boring interview with the state senator from Lowell County, I suppose.."

"Were you ever a used car salesman, Perry?" Martha asked brightly.

Perry laughed and nodded. "In college. For two months. Made enough money to buy my own car, so I could go to my internship. But hey, who's doing the interviewing here?"

"You are. Tomorrow." Martha stood, her dark red hair swinging over her shoulder. "You remember where the farm is?"

"Absolutely." Perry stood as well. "It's been good to meet you." He held out his hand, and Martha smiled, seeing the glint of white gold on his left hand.

"And you. You should bring your wife with you. I'd love to meet her." Martha told him as she shook his hand, and Perry sighed, all trace of glibness vanishing.

"Alice died some years ago. Cancer. We never saw it coming." Perry held up his hand. "Things all went downhill from there. Started drinking, lost my desk at the Daily Planet, worked for X-Styles, which doubtless you remember…" He rolled his eyes. "At least I'm on a comeback trail now, right?"

"Right. I am so sorry about your wife." Martha said sympathetically. "It doesn't get easier, does it?"

"Well…" Perry shrugged. "Some days yes, some days no. That's something we both know a little bit about." They walked to the door of the Talon, and he pushed open the door for her. "See you tomorrow. I'll come hungry."

"I'm here." Clark said, standing at the console. The hologram of Jor-El appeared, and he smiled tolerantly at his son. The Fortress glowed around them, the glacial walls generating their own light. Clark had long since stopped seeing the beauty of his Fortress, though. So many difficult moments had been spent here, that Clark wanted to leave the minute he stepped foot inside. Today, his primary goal was to return to Lori as soon as he could.

"_I'm sorry, Kal-El, for having to resort to such extremes to get your attention. Where is the Atlantean empath who translated the message?"_

"She stayed behind in Metropolis. You wanted to see me, so here I am." Clark heard the bitterness in his voice and regretted it. "I'm not used to it being, well, you…"

"_I understand."_ Jor-El nodded. _"I won't keep you from her for long, Kal-El. She would be a worthy choice for a life mate for you."_

"Would be?" Clark asked. "It sounds like you have something else in mind."

"_Destiny requires self sacrifce, Kal-El. Zod wanted you for a conqueror, to be the perfect Vessel for his spirit to inhabit. This was not the purpose your mother and I envisioned for you. We hoped that you would be a protector, a guardian for this small, vulnerable planet."_

"Why do I have to do that? Why can't I just have a normal life?" Clark asked and Jor-El sighed.

"_The questions you ask I cannot answer. I only know that the day you landed on Earth, the wheels of your destiny were set in motion. The Atlantean empath you love has a destiny of her own that she is trying to escape. You can both hide from it for a time, Kal-El, but eventually, one will have to choose to take up their role in the larger world. The other will either take up their destiny as well, or sublimate themselves and diminish. The question I ask you is, what will your choice be?"_

Clark felt a breeze blow through the Fortress, and he looked up at Jor-El's hologram in disbelief. "I'm going to have to let Lori go?"

"_Choosing between one path and another is part of life, Kal-El. If you choose to follow her path, you must relinquish yours." _Jor-El replied, "_I cannot choose for you, and I cannot force you to choose the past that is wisest."_

"And the consequences?" Clark asked, looking around. "What part will you play in those?"

"_None. I bear no burden in them. I can only advise you. I have no power outside of this place." _The hologram said. "_The manifestations of power that Zod accomplished were through his own force of will. It is not my purpose to interfere with humanity." _

Clark took this information in. "If I choose to stay with Lori, and she chooses to stay with me…"

"_Will set in motion a chain of events that will reshape the events of both of your societies."_

"If I go with her?"

"_The same…"_

"And if I do what you want me to do and give her up?" Clark could barely say the words.

"_The grief will pass. And the challenges will continue to be many. Life will not be simple, by any means. But you will see that you have made the best and wisest choice. For all concerned."_

"I choose her. I choose Lori. I want to be happy." Clark said, his voice rising.

"_The time for choosing is not now, Kal-El. You are not alone in this…" _Jor-El said calmly. _"When the time comes_, _you will recognize it."_


	15. Episode VS 15 Pawn

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 15 – **Pawn**

"_There is a tide in the affairs of men  
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;  
Omitted, all the voyage of their life  
Is bound in shallows and in miseries"_

William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar 

Lois stood at Rachel's desk, sorting through the original presentation Martha had written. It was all there, in pristine condition. Only a handful people had stayed behind late tonight, mostly staffers and such clearing up before their break. Lois looked at her watch. 20:30. Martha should be in her interview with that White guy now, she thought, picking up the phone to call Rachel. Lois knew that the secretary didn't live far away and hoped Rachel would be willing to come in to help straighten this all out. Rachel's home number just rang and rang. Frowning, Lois hung up and then shook her head. Friday Night. Of course, Lois looked over at the picture of a smiling Rachel with her tall, cute, blond boyfriend and snorted derisively.

"I should have realized I was the only one with no life." She chuckled to herself, and, just as she was getting ready to walk away, Lois saw that Rachel's computer was still on. Reaching for the mouse, Lois made the screen blaze to light. "Hmmm." Lois found a diskette and popped it into the drive. She copied as many files as she could to the diskette, without opening them. Chloe would know how to find out who had last accessed that document, Lois thought, wishing her cousin were there. Lois, however, did know how to cover her butt. Not wanting to open the file on Rachel's computer, Lois took the diskette from the drive, eyeing the PC thoughtfully. Chloe wasn't there, but the IT guys were. Lois picked up the phone again, and dialed the extension for information technology. Her reputation for being all thumbs with the computer was about to come in very, very handy.

Ten minutes later, the late night IT person, looking more like he was getting ready for a night of video games and pizza than work, arrived. Lois was glad they took turns on 12 hour shifts, and she was thrilled that it was this particular IT guy. She couldn't remember his name, but he always managed to impatiently give into her computer whims.

"Hi." She said, playing at frustrated. "Sorry. I need to find out when this file was last looked at…Rachel was out today, and I wanted to back it up."

The IT guy rolled his eyes. "We did a system back up last night. I could have restored it for you if you'd lost something. When it was last looked at, huh? Trying to make sure the staff is working, Chief?" He laughed, and Lois smiled. Nate. That was his name, Lois remembered finally.

"No, Nate, it's nothing like that, exactly, but things were changed and I want to know where that happened."

"Riiiight." Nate grinned, and walked over to the desk to begin working. "Well, Rachel primarily was doing the work, but someone with a temp. i.d. accessed it yesterday afternoon. Then it was printed." He printed the history report for Lois and handed it to her.

Lois shook her head. "Temp. i.d.? We don't have any temps in this office right now."

He looked at Lois and sighed. "Your consultant has a temp. i.d. That girl from the education council working with Senator Kent on that reform thing."

"Right." Lois looked over at the consultant's cubicle. "Nate, if I buy you dinner, can you get into that computer over there and tell me where she's been sending e-mails and stuff?"

"Well, I can do that faster from the server. If it's a question of information leaking, I can do it here right now." He shrugged. "And since I'm broke, pizza is always welcome."

"I'll order the pizza." Lois grinned, and Nate nodded, going to the consultant's cubicle and getting started on the search.

With the morning sun streaming through his window, Clark opened his eyes, trying to focus on the feminine figure sitting on the end of his bed. He smiled sleepily and sat up. And though he first thought it was Lori, Chloe came into sharp focus instead. She was just sitting on the foot of the bed, not looking at him, but down at her hand.

"Chlo'?" Clark said through a yawn, and Chloe looked over at him. Her face was an odd combination of emotions Clark could not identify. She silently held up her right hand, and showed him what she had been studying so intently. A tasteful emerald and diamond ring graced the ring finger of her right hand, the center emerald so green Clark thought it was kryptonite for a moment. The diamonds were perfectly matched, twin stars of blue white light. It seemed to have been made for Chloe's hand, and Clark felt his brain spin a little. It couldn't be possible.

"Wow." Clark said, and Chloe nodded. "Does this mean…"

"No. It means that Oliver and I are a couple, I guess. We agreed that when we're ready, I'll move it to my left hand." Chloe looked down at the ring again. "It also means that Oliver is going back to Seattle and he wants me to go too."

Clark sat up more, concerned. "Seattle is pretty far away, Chloe. What about your internship?"

"I've been offered one at the Seattle Times, if I decide to stay." She informed him, her hazel eyes seeking reassurance. "Right now, I'm just going with him for a little while. Things are bad for his company, and I don't want him to face it alone. Dad is going too…needs to find someone to sublet his apartment. He's going for good. Got a job out there as a general manager for a computer manufacturer. More money than LuthorCorp ever paid him. Clark…" Chloe frowned. "Am I making a mistake? I mean, the Seattle Times is as good a paper as the Daily Planet, right?"

Clark sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Right up there with the New York Times and the Gotham Herald. This isn't about the paper, though. Is it?"

Chloe reached over and pulled on his t-shirt gently, collecting her thoughts. "No. It's not just about the paper. Listen, Clark, I'm in love with Oliver and that's been a big surprise for me because I never thought I'd love anyone other than…" She looked at him squarely, blushed and then looked away. "Well, anyway, I just get the idea that if I stay here, neither of us is going to do much more growing up."

"Chloe?" Clark took her hand. "What are you talking about?"

"We depend on each other too much, Clark. You are my best friend, and you mean the world to me. If I hadn't met Oliver, we would have gladly kept things the way they were forever. It's been too comfortable, too easy." Chloe smiled. "But…" She trailed off, her expression growing soft and distant.

Clark shook her hand a little, bringing Chloe back to the conversation. "But?"

"I love Oliver." Chloe said helplessly, and Clark smiled. "I do. It's crazy. I certainly didn't have falling in love with a billionaire on my list of things to do with my life."

Clark laughed. "You and Oliver make sense, even if he were poor. I know he loves you, I can see it when he looks at you. And I've never seen you so happy."

"Really?" Chloe smiled brightly and Clark nodded.

"Really." He agreed. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, first thing." Chloe sniffed. "I drove out this morning to talk to Lois and you first. Oliver is coming out later – he said he'd bring Lori out with him. He wants to see his calf before he goes back to Seattle." They both grinned at the thought of Oliver's attachment to the not so little anymore calf. "So, come on, Kent. This may very well be my last day in this sweet little slice of Weird America. I expect to be treated like a princess."

"Yes, your Highness." Clark laughed, getting out of bed, glad he'd slept in sweatpants and a t-shirt. "What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know, but you need to get dressed." Chloe stood and polished her ring on his shirt, looking at it again. "It's not too big, is it?"

Clark shrugged. "How big is 'too big' with stuff like this?" He looked at Chloe's hand again. "It's like a shiny pea."

Chloe grimaced comically, thinking of her least favorite vegetable. "I'm going to show your mom. See what she says." She drew her hand away from him slowly, looking up at him, tilting her head as she always did when trying to figure him out. "Clark, you are happy, right? I don't mean for me…I mean for yourself. Lori is great."

He felt the scope of her penetrating look and smiled. "Yeah. Things with Lori and I are great, and it's nice to think that for now, anyway, we can just hang back and enjoy the summer." Clark debated telling Chloe about his visit to Jor-El, but he decided against it. First and foremost, Chloe deserved to be happy and not worried. He smiled instead, and she nodded, her face still arranged in it's "Let's figure out Clark" expression.

"Okay…" Chloe grinned at him finally. "I hope so..."

"Hello!" Lois' voice trumpeted from downstairs. "Kent Family?" They could hear the front door close behind her as she walked into the house. "Are you all home?"

"Coming, Lois!" Clark called, rolling his eyes. "I have to remember to get the house keys from her." Clark sighed and went to walk down the stairs, letting Chloe go before him.

"Aw.." Chloe laughed, galloping down the stairs to meet her cousin in the kitchen. Lois, dressed in her work clothes, stood at the counter drinking a long drink from her coffee mug. Mrs. Kent sat at the counter, reading a sheaf of papers, her hands over her mouth. "What's going on?"

"Mrs. Kent is being sabotaged by someone because of her connection to Lionel Luthor." Lois said, setting her mug down. "I'm working on finding the rat now, but I was hoping to have you work with me on this. "

"What do you have?" Chloe asked, and Martha looked up, her eyes filled with a betrayed, hurt gleam. Clark moved around the counter to put his arm around his mother consolingly. "It's not Lionel himself, is it?"

"No." Martha shook her head. "Who ever it is, they are trying to get to him through me. Lois has everything, the presentation info, the bids, and email records." She looked up at Clark. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Well, that's a switch, usually it's a Luthor hurting someone on purpose." Chloe said, looking at her cousin. "You staying in Smallville?"

"Only as long as it takes to change clothes and head up to Metropolis to do some more digging." Lois told her. "Mrs. Kent, you had that interview with Perry White?"

"It's today, actually." Martha drew in a deep breath. "I'm going to have to cancel.."

"No!" Both young women said together, and Lois shook her head. "Mrs. Kent, you need this interview more than ever now. Positive press, another building block in your good reputation."

"She's right, Mom." Clark said, not wanting to agree with Lois at all, but he could not debate that point. "Besides, until we know for sure if Lionel is involved, you really need to stay away from him."

"I hope you'll listen to him." Lois snapped, picking up her coffee mug again. "I have to go. Get showered and out to Metropolis." She looked at her cousin. "Ready? I really could use your help."

"Of course…" Chloe looked at Clark and Martha for a long minute and then nodded. "Let me call Oliver. He needs to know plans have changed."

"I'm here." Oliver stood in the doorway, holding the door open for Lori. "What plans have changed?" Chloe went to him and led Oliver outside. Lori watched them go and then let the door fall closed behind her.

"What is it?" Lori asked, and Martha sighed. "Something is wrong."

"Someone is trying to make me look bad in the Senate. Lois uncovered the plot, and she's trying to figure out whose responsible." Martha said, and Lori frowned.

"Well, you must be patient. Clark, you will be working to discover this as well, will you not?" Clear aquamarine eyes fell on him questioningly, and Clark nodded. "How can I help?"

"Well," Lois began tartly, "You can start by not sending Smallville with me. He's not very helpful. And who the hell are you anyway?"

Lori eyed Lois coldly, her voice becoming regal. Clark loved her for it. "Now, you listen to me. Clark is far from useless, and he has a right to protect his mother's honor. As for me, I am as you are, a friend of a very good family." Lori placed a hand on Martha's shoulder. "I will stay with you, Mrs. Kent, if you will have me."

Martha nodded, grasping Lori's hand in her own. Lori and Lois locked eyes across the counter, and Clark shuddered. It would be a very bad thing to be between two women who were, well, as determined as Lori and Lois were, he thought, smiling.

After a minute, Chloe and Oliver returned, their faces grim, but hand in hand.

"Martha, I have to get back to Seattle – I only came out today to say goodbye." Oliver began, and Martha sighed, releasing Lori's hand to embrace him. He hugged her back. "I'm going to make some phone calls though, see if I can get my meetings switched here until you get all of this cleared up."

"No." Martha said. "Don't you dare. I saw the paper, Oliver. You go do what you have to. I think you'll have a reason to come back." She looked over at Chloe eloquently. Chloe nodded, smiling at Oliver brightly.

"You got that right. Okay, who feels like going to a benefit this afternoon?" Oliver said, grinning widely, and Lois frowned.

"The benefit is off, Martha has an interview today." She said, and Oliver shrugged.

"So, Martha stays, does her interview. I have tickets to a benefit that Lionel Luthor will be at. If someone is taking potshots at him through Martha, maybe they'll show up at the benefit." Oliver looked at Clark. "You could go in your mothers place, Clark. Prepare you for a life in the spotlight. State Senator Kent's son, a devoted advocate of literacy..." Oliver let Martha go gently and winked at Chloe. "Well, if the family business does go bust, I have a career in journalism just waiting for me…what a headline." Chloe laughed, turning to take in Clark's reaction.

"Ha, the last thing I want." Clark laughed, whisking eggs in a bowl. "In the spotlight."

"No, Clark, Oliver is quite correct." Lori said wisely. "It would be very proper for you to attend in your mother's stead." Lois snorted, and Lori turned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "And you, Lois Lane, will go with him. Chief of Staff, son of the senator. It's perfect." Lori nodded, satisfied and Oliver grinned, folding his arms across his chest. Chloe snickered into her coffee, as Lois gasped in shock, and Clark set the bowl of eggs down gently, looking down at the countertop saying nothing. There was perfect silence for a moment and then, a blast of rebellion sounded from either side of the room, Lois talking fast and Clark resisting angrily. Lori, Oliver and Chloe shared an amused grin, but Martha's face was an example of parental impatience.

Martha cleared her throat loudly. "Now, that's enough. Lois, Clark, I agree with Lori and Oliver. It's a sensible plan, and gets you all to where you'll be in a position to find out as much as you can." Lois and Clark glared at each other, and finally Lois squared her shoulders and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Smallville, I can deal with it if you can. Just make sure you're presentable. Don't embarrass me." Lois said, turning to leave.

"Yeah, okay." Clark retorted under his breath. "I won't, if you can act like a human being. " Lois turned, and stalked up to Clark.

"You listen to me, farmboy, I'm the chief of staff for State Senator Martha Kent. People know who I am there. Just try to breathe through your nose, okay?" She reached up and pushed Clark's chin up, shutting his mouth before she walked out the door, letting the screen slam behind her. "I'll be back in a little while. Be ready to go."

'Yeah, that is annoying, you breathing and all, Clark." Oliver said to Clark, laughing. Clark rolled his eyes, and turned back to breakfast with a good natured scowl. "Try to stop doing that." Oliver shuddered, looking at the door where Lois had just exited through. "I'm glad I got Chloe. Those Lane girls are tough."

"You have no idea." Clark, Chloe and Martha all said at once.

When Perry White arrived at the Kent Farm later that day, he was greeted by musical laughter that drifted out through the open windows from the kitchen. Transfixed, he walked to the screen door and knocked. A radiant strawberry blonde girl with Martha Kent came to the door and studied him for a moment before pushing the screen open for him. A girl in a class of women Perry had only dreamed about, she had to be somehow connected to Martha's son, who was himself quite a specimen of manhood.

"Hello." She said, her voice music with it's soft Welsh accent. "You must be Mr. White. I'm Lori, Clark's girlfriend."

"Ah, of course." Perry blinked, as if waking up from deep sleep. "Well, he didn't meet you at school…"

"Oh, no." Lori smiled. "We met through friends."

"Ah." Perry nodded. "Because it's hard for either one of you to meet people, right?"

Lori laughed, a gurgle that immediately endeared her to the newspaperman. "Something like that. Won't you come in? The banana bread is underway, and there is pie cooling." Perry walked into the kitchen. Martha Kent came out of her pantry at the same time, carrying several jars of what had to be homemade preserves. Perry was stricken by two things when he saw her, one, how perfectly right Martha seemed in this setting, and two, how absolutely lovely she was.

"Oh, Perry! I totally forgot the time!" She said, setting the jars down. "You've met Lori?"

"Um yeah." Perry replied as the tall blonde went to the table, opening a jar to start dotting cookies with a rich red jam. "Nice that you have help today."

"Well, Lois was going to be here, but she went to that literacy benefit in my place with Clark." Martha smiled at Lori. "Lori was nice enough to agree to stay with me."

Lori looked up from her jam filling and nodded.

"Well, I hope Lori won't mind if we get started." Perry said, taking the offered apron from Martha. "I just want this to be casual. Just some bread baking between friends."

Martha laughed, and Lori grinned also. "Well." Martha said, handing him the bananas and a potato masher. "Better get started, friend."

"Right. Banana mashing." Perry looked down at the bananas. "To think, I have my masters in journalism…"

"Is it not the case that many great journalists have endured such things?" Lori asked, her eyes cast down at her cookies. "I have heard stories of journalists golfing or participating in some barbaric sport like FISHING to get their story."

Martha choked, and Perry looked up at the girl "Fishing? Barbaric?"

"Lori is a strict vegetarian, Perry. And very mindful of ecology. Aren't you, dear?" Martha supplied the information quickly, and Lori nodded eagerly.

"How New Age." Perry smiled at the girl. "Parents were hippies, huh? Into all that crystal and Atlantis stuff?"

Lori smiled, and licked the jam from her fingers. "That's exactly right, Perry. Definitely into crystals and Atlantis. Mrs. Kent, I'm going to look for some more eggs. Nice to meet you." Lori picked up a basket and walked out of the house, leaving Martha and Perry alone.

"Nice kid." Perry watched after Lori as she left. "She comes from the same perfect mold as your son."

Martha laughed. "I don't think that's possible, but yes, I like her very much."

"So, banana bread relates to political life how?" Perry asked, peeling the bananas and dropping them into a bowl. "What is it about baking day that helps you get your mind around the next week of work?"

Martha smiled, measuring flour, salt and sugar into a bigger bowl. "Well, baking is the exact opposite of politics, I guess. Everything goes in at the precise measurements and comes out perfect. In politics, in all of the rest of life, it gets so complicated."

"I see." Perry put the last banana in the bowl and began to mash them. "My favorite part of running a newspaper, I've found, is doing the layouts. It's precise work, but it's very soothing. Everything fits, at the end, but it takes some work."

Martha nodded. "My husband used to say that farming was like that. He could be bothered by something and after the day of working the farm, he'd have the problem resolved. I guess everyone has something like that."

"If they don't, they should." Perry said, looking into the bowl of mashed bananas. "Less people would drink if they thought that way."

"I don't know, Henry." Lana shook her head skeptically, looking at her biological father. "I thought of art school, but I've been more interested in astronomy." The Talon was having it's usual Saturday traffic, and Lana was able to take a small break.

Henry looked at the brochures again. "Because of your involvement with Lex Luthor. But you, Lana, what do you want? If astronomy feels like YOU, then forget these."

She tipped her head, looking at the pamphlet from the school in Gotham City. "Gotham Institute of Design? Oh, Henry, that would be a dream come true."

"A dream come true." He smiled at his daughter. "Sounds like astronomy is out."

Lana smiled dreamily, taking the pamphlet from him. "I remember reading about this school a long time ago, and thinking how wonderful it would have been to go there. But I could never afford it."

"Well then." Henry adjusted his glasses. "You could probably get in on a late registration. And, I can help with tuition. It's the least I can do."

"No." Lana sighed. I'm staying here. I like Smallville. It's home."

"Everyone needs to grow past home to come back to it, Lana." Henry said, setting the pamphlets down. "And at least now you know, that whatever happens, you'll have family." He cleared his throat. "Other than Nell, I mean."

"Oh, Nell." Lana looked down at the table and her cooling tea. "I haven't called her yet. She doesn't know about Lex and I."

"Tell her when you are ready." Henry advised. "If she's as much like your mom as I think she is, she'll understand."

Lana nodded slowly. "I wouldn't know if she's like Mom. But I think she'll understand. After she gets over my missing out on marrying Lex Luthor."

Henry laughed. "Well, I can't help but be glad about that." He looked over at the door as the bell sounded. "Speak of the devil…"

Lex made his way through the Saturday crowd like a shadow. Lana rose, and Henry did as well, standing beside his daughter protectively. "Lana, Mr. Small." Lex nodded in greeting, his face neutral. "Lana, I was hoping to speak to you. I know we talked yesterday, but there were some things that I wanted to clear up."

Lana folded her arms. "I'm sorry, Lex, but there really isn't a whole lot more for us to say to each other."

"I think there is." He held out a hand. "Would you come with me? Just to talk, and only to your office." Her eyes flicked to his hand, and Lana did not reach for him, so Lex put his hand down.

"I'd rather stay here." Lana replied, a little sadly. "Anything you have to say to me can be said here."

Lex nodded. "Okay. I respect your wishes as far as our personal relationship is concerned, and I wasn't sure how far that extended." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope, setting it on the table in front of Lana. "It's the deed to the Talon. Anything else just didn't seem like enough. Please, Mr. Small, look it over. It's all legal. I'm still holding an interest in the profits, but the whole thing is yours now." Henry picked up the envelope, taking out the deed and read it over, while Lana stared at Lex in surprise.

"I don't know what to say," She breathed finally. "What do you want, Lex?"

"Nothing, except for you to be happy." Lex replied. "Which is all I've ever really wanted. We had something in common, I thought. We were both so affected by the first meteor shower, I felt a connection with you from the first." He tapped the smooth surface of the black laminate table. "I could tell you I love you, but after yesterday, I wouldn't expect you to believe me."

"Lex." Lana said, wiping away a tear. "I believe you care about me as much as you can. And I believe you believe it's love. But I can't be involved in your life as deeply as you wanted me to be. I'm not strong enough. I don't know what the future holds for either one of us, but I know that we aren't meant to find out together. Giving me the Talon was probably the most thoughtful and wonderful thing you could have done. But I can't take it. It feels too much like a bribe to keep me near you."

Lex nodded and Lana felt her breath catch, seeing unveiled regret and loss in his normally mirror smooth grey eyes. "A bribe? Lana, I could have held on to the property…"

"He's right, Lana." Henry said, looking up from the document. "He could have. But this sets it all clearly in your name." The lawyer turned to Lex. "The share of profit you are claiming could be construed as payment for the property."

"It could and that's what I wanted." Lex agreed evenly. "Not a bribe, Lana."

Lana sighed. She looked at Henry, who smiled, handing her the deed. "Okay. Thank you, Lex." Her voice was choked with tears, but Lana did not falter.

"You're welcome. Well, I guess I'd better go." He looked around. "It was nice having this place." Lex smiled at Lana sadly. "Goodbye, Lana."

"Lex." She nodded. "Goodbye." He turned and left the Talon, moving as gracefully and silently as he had arrived. Covering her mouth, Lana turned and buried her face in Henry Small's shoulder, weeping. This time, the goodbye was final.

Lois stood with Chloe as Oliver and Clark made their way around the room, shaking hands and talking to the guests. "What are we looking for?" Lois whispered, and Chloe shook her head.

"I'm not sure right now, but look for anyone that might seem familiar. It's kind of something you feel. If someone looks suspicious, they just might be." Chloe sipped her drink and looked around. "Like those two." Chloe indicated a well dressed couple, talking low as they looked around the room.

"What's suspicious about them?" Lois asked, and then she grabbed Chloe's arm. "It's not them, but look." She turned Chloe toward a good looking young man with blond hair. He was wearing a press pass, and taking notes on everything going on around him. "That's Rachel's boyfriend."

"That's Lucas "Snapper" Carr." Chloe smirked. "He's a new reporter at the Wichita Record. You've probably seen him all over the Capitol building."

"No, not all over." Lois said quietly. "Just in one particular place." She began to walk toward him, and Chloe stopped her. "I'm going to talk to him..."

"Hey, there, Lois, slow down." Chloe whispered. "You can't just barge up to him and say…Hi, Snapper…" She smiled charmingly at Snapper Carr and he nodded, smiling back. "How's life at the Record?"

"Not the Planet, but I'm really hoping do the move to broadcast news very soon." Snapper said, turning to Lois. "Hope you aren't planning to scoop me, Sullivan. You're Lois Lane, right? Martha Kent's Chief of Staff?"

"Yes, yes I am." Lois replied, regaining control over her temper. "I'm also Rachel's boss. How is she? I tried to call her yesterday."

"Oh, well, Rachel went to visit her parents this weekend, since I had to work here in Metropolis anyway." Snapper replied. "I'll tell her you said hi. Meantime, where is Senator Kent? I thought she was going to be here today." He looked around at the people around them, searching for Martha.

"She's home, taking care of family business." Clark said from behind Snapper. "I'm Clark Kent."

"Oh." Snapper said, and Lois smirked as the reporter's expression fell. "So you're here pinch hitting for her?"

"Something like that." Clark nodded, and Snapper nodded, and then, waving, ran toward Lionel, completely dismissing Clark, Chloe Oliver and Lois as the older Luthor entered. Oliver chuckled, and Chloe smiled up at him, taking his hand in hers.

"It's nice being the stranger in town. No one knows me." Oliver quipped as the press in the room milled around Lionel.

"Well, they're about to get to know you." Chloe told him, as the crowd of people moved toward them with Lionel. "Come on, Lois, let's disappear right now." Chloe grabbed Lois by the hand and pulled her away.

"What does Snapper Carr want with Martha?" Chloe asked, and Lois frowned.

"Another photo opportunity, I'm sure." Lois rolled her eyes. "Well, now what?"

"We keep circulating. Keep Snapper in mind, though. You said you heard a man say that he wanted to release the story? Well, he's a man, and a reporter." Chloe folded her arms. "I don't say he's guilty, but let's keep an eye on him all the same. Otherwise, we wait. One of them asks a question about the tampered with presentation, that's who we talk to."

Lionel Luthor, long a skilled manipulator of the press, smiled his sharky smile at the crowd of reporters. "Welcome, welcome. This benefit for Luthorcorp's co-venture with Queen Industries is really something I'm quite proud of. Because of the generosity and compassion of young Oliver Queen, millions of children across the country will have the extra support they need in becoming ready for school. And millions of adults, long unable to appreciate the written word will have a whole new world opened to them." Lionel turned to Oliver and embraced him formally. Flash bulbs popped, and the barrage of questions began.

"Is it true, Mr. Queen, that your company is experiencing it's third straight week of declining stock prices…"

"Mr. Queen, word is that you've been in Metropolis all this time for personal reasons. Care to comment? Sources say you were spotted yesterday with a young woman looking at rings…"

Clark leaned over to Oliver. "Invisible, huh?" Oliver shrugged, grinning.

"All part of the game, Clark." Oliver laughed. He shook his head at the reporter. "No comment to either of you. Official press releases will be sent from Queen Industries next week and the other thing is not your business." Flashes exploded around them, and Clark blinked against them.

"Mr. Luthor, Senator Martha Kent was expected to appear today. Where is she?" A female reporter asked, and Chloe moved in, studying her face.

"Do you know her, Lois?" Chloe whispered, and Lois shook her head.

"No, I don't. Chloe, look. I know her…" Lois gestured toward a tall brunette standing in the corner on her cell phone. "That's our consultant, the one that was supposed to be helping Martha with putting this bill together. What's she doing here?"

"Let's find out." Chloe said, as the woman left the room, while the collected press waited for Lionel's response. Slipping away, Chloe and Lois followed the woman from the classroom as the reporters geared up for Lionel's reply.

If Lionel had been taken aback by the question, he gave no sign, but turned to Clark as if his appearance at the benefit had been planned. "Senator Kent could not attend today, but her son, Clark, National Honor Student and State Championship Quarterback was pleased to join us." Lionel smiled at Clark and embraced him as well, whispering. "Is your mother okay?"

"She's fine, but someone is trying to…" Clark began, and Lionel moved away, and with a curt nod, turned back to the crowd.

"Please explore the facility here, speak to our teachers, and donate, donate, donate." Lionel said, dismissing the reporters with a regal wave. Taking Clark by the arm, Lionel drew him away from the crowd and into an empty classroom. Oliver followed with a cocky grin over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Clark." Lionel said, when he was sure they were alone. "It wasn't a good idea for you to tell me more than if Martha was okay in front of the press. They are bloodhounds."

Clark nodded. "Someone is trying to sabotage Mom at the senate. Lois found out about it yesterday. Based on the e-mail records, it's been going on for quite awhile. They are getting ready to break a story that Mom is serving special interests by only promoting Luthorcorp for state services."

Lionel nodded, taking the information in. "It's common for one bid to be used in an initial presentation, just for reference, Clark."

"Martha was in the second stage, her literacy bill is supposed to be up before the state Senate next session." Oliver continued. "The bid presented was supposed to be the best one. I looked over the info Lois brought with her from Wichita. There's only the Luthorcorp bid."

"Martha is too conscientious to not have other bidders." Lionel rubbed his chin. "And Martha's connection to me would be enough for the Senate to squash the bill entirely. She's devoted so much time to it…her reputation is on the line."

"Exactly." Oliver nodded. "What Clark and I are hoping for, Lionel, are some ideas as to who would most benefit from disgracing Martha, and hurting you."

Lionel was silent, turning away from the younger men. The only name that came to mind was one that he could not give them, no matter what. He lowered his head, and moved around the desk. "I have not made a great many friends in my time, gentlemen. It could be one of any number of people." He looked at Clark. "Someday, you will understand, son."

Clark and Oliver both looked at each other. "Do you want to talk to Lex or should I?" Oliver said finally. "He's my best guess."

Lionel smiled. "Well done, Oliver. A surprisingly accurate guess."

"Not so surprising." Oliver replied. "Sometimes your worst enemy is your best friend, or closest relative. Dad always said I was lucky to be an only child."

"The best way to get to Lex is to stop whatever it is he's planning is really only a question of moves." Lionel mused, fingering his beard thoughtfully.

"Moves." Clark looked at Lionel. "Like a chess game."

"Exactly." Lionel nodded. "And every expert chess player thinks more than one move ahead of his opponent. If I were to advise you not to speak to Lex until you have more evidence connecting him with this, I hope you would take me seriously."

"I can't let him continue to hurt my mother, Lionel." Clark said, and Lionel nodded.

"Of course not. I myself find his attack on Martha to be unconscionable. But this situation is easily stopped without giving him a hint of your next move. Don't you see, Clark?" Lionel leaned forward. "The game is just beginning."

"Hey, Donna." Lois called out to the consultant, who turned, hanging up her phone. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"I was looking for Senator Kent." Donna replied. "I thought you were going to the Hamptons."

"I was." Lois smiled. "But I found out we had rats in the office, so I stayed to help get rid of them."

"Good for you." The consultant replied tartly. "If you'll excuse me, I have other clients.."

"I don't think so." Lois said calmly. "I think you and I are going to have a conversation about your connection to Luthorcorp, and why you sent more e-mails there than to your consulting firm." When Donna began to refuse, Lois folded her arms. "Donna, I don't think you've met my cousin, Chloe Sullivan. She's with The Daily Planet, and what we have on you right now? Well, let's just say the only consulting you'll be doing will be whether the customer wants paper or plastic." Lois smiled sympathetically and pointed to a chair. "Have a seat, and let's talk."

Chloe smiled, and shrugged. "I'm sure the voters would love to hear how the popular Martha Kent was nearly destroyed politically. I'd be doing my duty as a citizen. Besides, the people have a right to know."

Donna sighed. "The other bids are with a reporter friend of mine. The plan was to hold the bids back, making it seem like Senator Kent was doing it, that she only was interested in pushing Luthorcorp. We were going to break the story right after Senate went back into session."

"Cute. Who's the reporter friend? Not Snapper Carr?" Chloe asked, and Donna shook her head.

"No, he's in there now, from The Kansan. Daniel Cooper." Donna shook her head. "I'll be your source for the story, it's really him I'm worried about. He's got the Luthorcorp contact." Donna looked at Lois and Chloe sadly. "Please help us."

"We'll do what we can." Chloe patted Donna's shoulder. "We're not without resources ourselves."

"Right. I'll go find Clark and Oliver. You two go get Daniel Cooper." Lois said, marching back to the benefit. "It's time we settle this."

Lori had filled the basket with eggs, even from the moody brown hen Clark called Cranky, and she loved running her hand over the finely textured surfaces of the eggs. The afternoon was still young, and the sun was high. Life here on the Kent farm was wonderful, Lori thought and she never wanted it to end.

"You look perfectly at home, Your Highness, all earthbound and sunkissed." The female voice made Lori jump, nearly dropping the eggs. Callista smiled, gorgeously exotic in silvery leather. "Your mother sent me, Lorelai to bring you back to Atlantis. But I have my own reasons for being here, so if I take my time fulfilling her wish, neither one of us will really be too upset."

"I can't believe it's you." Lori said, her voice a half whisper. "They sent you to bring me home?"

"I asked to be the one. Like I said, I have my reasons for coming back too." Callista said, embracing Lori. "It's good to see you, my friend."

"And you." Lori's eyes filled with tears, feeling homesick and scared all at once. "How long do we have?"

"As long as we need." Callista replied conspiratorially. "And hopefully, that's enough."


	16. Episode VS 16 Discovery

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 16 – **Discovery**

_**"...Those who do not understand  
their destiny will never understand  
the friends they have made  
nor the work they have chosen** _

_**nor the one life that waits  
beyond all the others..."**_

_David Whyte, "**All The True Vows**"_

When Clark and Oliver left the classroom, Lionel sat down in the chair behind the teacher's desk and sighed, covering his eyes with his hand. Allowing them to believe Lex was solely responsible for the little drama that had swirled around Martha hadn't been entirely truthful. Lionel had to assign himself some blame in the drama. He'd gotten too close, insinuated himself too much into her life. And, by all means, Lionel was not the sort of man to chat casually in the kitchen of the farmhouse while Martha made them breakfast. If he held any responsibility it was in opening her up to such an attack by thinking that he might still be able to become such a person. It was too late for such fantasies of change. Lionel rose, adjusting his custom tailored jacket with an elegant shrug of the shoulders. His concern was Lex. Since the incident this spring, Lex had been erratic, unfocused. It was only after they had recovered him in the Keys, in and out of consciousness, that Lionel truly noticed the change in his son. And it was not for the better.

The darkness in Lex had only gotten worse, more sinister. Lionel had hoped that in enticing Lana Lang to stay in her relationship with Lex, some root could be found for the increasing darkness within his son. Lana, to her credit, had proved to be ethically unable to stand up to the challenge leaving Lionel alone again trying to find out the truth. Lex had progressed from disappointment to dangerous, and Lionel couldn't help but wonder what miracle of parenting had created a Clark Kent, or an Oliver Queen, for that matter. Lionel had met Oliver's father Matthew years ago, when Lex and Oliver were at Excelsior. The senior Queen had been too good looking by half, cocksure and charming, regarding his boy as a natural extension of himself, and now, Oliver had surpassed his father in all ways. Jonathan Kent had not for one day treated Clark as anything other than his natural son, and the boy was now a young man to be admired, even envied. Lionel forbade himself to relive his own childhood, to see the faces of his own parents. It was a sign of old age to become so maudlin, reminiscing and brooding, and Lionel would not let trivialities like time and age defeat him. Until one of them were dead, there was still a chance to pull Lex from this path of destruction he'd chosen. Lionel just hoped that he could still meet the task. Regally, he walked to the classroom door and looked out at the benefit party, which had shifted into festive high gear. The auction had begun, and the Luthor – Queen Urban Literacy Project would be able take off strong. Lionel smiled. _I might be too young to be maudlin, he thought, I'm not young enough to ignore my legacy_. He made a mental note to call the private attorney that handled his personal business. Legacies needed tending, just like children, or crops of corn. Lionel smiled, thinking of his child, the facial expression taking on the shark like gleam it once had. _Oh, Lex. Lex, Lex. You will never see this coming. I only wish I could be alive to see your reaction_. Chuckling, Lionel pushed through the door and out into the swirl of excitement.

"There they are." Clark gestured to where Lois, Chloe and two others stood, involved in conversation. Oliver nodded and the men moved through the crowd to rejoin their group, just outside the room where the benefit was being held. Lois was speaking in low, urgent tones to the newcomers.

"..have to understand the depth of what you tried to pull. I can't bring you to jail myself, but I'm going to make sure you don't do it again." She pointed at the man, using her height to intimidate him, even though he himself was nearly six feet tall. "And YOU….I know so many ways to make you suffer. Slimeball."

"Hey, hey.." The man said, raising his hands. "Take it easy. We didn't actually get to spring the plan into action, no one's been hurt yet..."

Lois sneered. "Because we caught you." She turned as Clark approached and sighed impatiently. "There you are. I thought your little private chat with Lionel was going to go on all day."

Clark looked at the man, tuning Lois out. "You the reporter from the Wichita paper?"

"I am." Daniel Cooper drew himself up, and still was not as tall as Clark or Oliver. "I can write another story, you know, about how I was strong armed by Martha Kent's people into dropping the real story of her pandering to special interests." His voice raised a little in panic, as Clark advanced toward him, his face dark with anger. Oliver gracefully stepped between Clark and Cooper.

"Whoa, sparky." Oliver said, placing a hand on Clark's shoulder. "He's got nothing and he knows it. I love when guys are just stupid. Let's handle this like grown ups." Oliver turned to Cooper, and the genial tone in his voice vanished, replaced by a growl that made the hairs on the back of Chloe's neck stand up. "Okay, Cooper, give us what you have, and no threats. I'm in no mood to play games. And I'm being the good cop here. I could just let Clark rip you apart for trying to hurt his Mom." Oliver clapped Clark on the shoulder again.

"Come on, Coop…it's over." The dark haired woman said, pleading. "They can help us get out of this, if you let them."

"Billionaire threatens reporter…" Cooper began defiantly, and Oliver chuckled.

"You had to go there, didn't you? Geez, these guys never learn. Come here." Oliver put his arm around the reporter and walked him to the window that looked into the classrooom. "When I tell you that it won't surprise anyone in that room that you are a lying piece of crap, believe me. So, exposing you as one is not much of a victory for me. You can write whatever you want about me, got it? I threatened you, beat the crap out you. It might be true anyway, in about ten minutes, so that won't be a lie. Now, I think we all understand each other, and that we all get what we want with no violence or any negative publicity. You think so too, Coop?"

Cooper swallowed. Oliver Queen was not a small man, and by no means one to be taken lightly. And Martha Kent's son, the football hero, was bigger and more daunting, in spite of how gently he was speaking to Donna now. He weighed his options. The damage to his career would be incalculable if his arrangement with Lex Luthor came out, and Luthor was no man to be crossed either. Cooper nodded, looking at Oliver solemnly.

"I'll tell you everything, and turn over the bids. You have to get me out of Kansas, and Donna too. And, if this story is going to hit the press, I want our names changed or left out of it. I'm about to double cross someone scarier than either one of you." Coop said, and Oliver smiled.

"There now. I knew you could see reason. See, Clark? We didn't have to rough him up at all. It's always nice when different points of view can be discussed and ironed out." Oliver said expansively, making Clark choke on a suppressed laugh. "Where are the bids?"

"I have the documents in my car. I didn't want them to get away from me." Cooper said, taking his car keys from his pocket.

"Donna and I will go get them." Chloe took the keys from Cooper's hand with an apologetic smile. "Be back in a minute." The two young women walked away from the group and toward the parking lot. Coop sat down, dropping his head into his hands, desperate to be anywhere other than here, or eventually facing Lex Luthor.

"Well, Smallville, I hope to get some appreciation for my part in this." Lois said smugly, folding her arms over her chest. "I broke this wide open."

"Appreciation for what?" Clark asked sarcastically. "Picking up the wrong phone line?" A flicker of hurt appeared through Lois' veneer of bravado, and suddenly, Clark realized his attitude toward Lois was unfair – she had done everything she could out of loyalty and affection for his mother. "We owe you a lot, Lois. Thanks." He smiled at her, and she smiled back, honey brown hair bouncing around her shoulders as she reached over to punch him smartly on the arm.

"On that note, I'm going to get something to drink and mingle." Lois grinned jauntily, walking away from them on long legs. "Try not to miss me, Smallville. I want to have some fun today."

Oliver shook his head and looked at Clark, who was watching her go with a bemused expression. "You okay, Clark? Look like a goose just walked over your grave."

"I was just wondering how someone so obnoxious always manages to come through for the people she cares about. It's a mystery." Clark said, and Oliver nodded.

"That being there for the people they care about runs in the family." Oliver said, as Chloe and Donna returned. Chloe waved the file in the air with a victorious little flourish, and Oliver smiled. "I'm glad this one is on my side."

Martha looked around her kitchen in awe. While Lori had been quite the prodigy in the baking department, her friend Callista had proven to be quite effective at cleaning up. The whole room was spotless, and Perry was comfortably seated, a steaming cup of coffee before him, going over his notes from the day. The girls had retired to the living room to talk, and watch television while they waited for the others to get back. Martha had started dinner, a huge cured ham that Jonathan had gotten when he won the election, baby potatoes and fresh corn were all underway. Enough to feed a small army. A male presence in the kitchen, the young women in the living room, waiting for Clark and Martha felt herself transported back in time. Sighing, Martha took out a large bowl and the ingredients for biscuits. Jonathan always liked biscuits with ham and gravy. Clark did too, Martha reminded herself, but still found herself listening to Perry as he read through his notes and sipped at the coffee. So familiar sounding, and easy to let herself remember...

"Martha?" Perry's voice behind her at the table made Martha jump, breaking her dream of Jonathan at the table, going over bills. Of course, there could be no mistaking either of them for the other, Martha realized that now. She turned, her hands full of butter and flour. Perry was looking at her, studying her as she worked.

"What Perry?" Martha smiled, and Perry frowned.

"I had asked you if you were considering running yourself, when your late husband's term was over, but you were," He raised a hand, swooping it through the air like a rocket and whistled. "Elsewhere. You okay?"

"I'm fine." Martha nodded, kneading the biscuit dough a little more. "Just wondering when the kids will all be back. Clark hasn't called yet."

Perry nodded. "About Clark, Martha. Do you think he'd would like a job? At the Ledger? He did some pretty good work when he was in high school – granted, not very exciting, but steady and factual. I'd really need him to be an editorial assistant, but there'd be writing opportunities for him, since he knows the town so well."

"Oh, I don't know.' Martha said, shrugging slightly. "He's got the farm, and he'll be starting back to school in the fall semester."

"Well, I'll ask him. And that little blonde friend of his…Caroline, Christine..?"

"Chloe." Martha smiled. "Actually, Chloe is already an intern at the Daily Planet."

"That kid is going places." Perry noted with admiration. "Her articles in that school paper were what brought me to Smallville in the first place with X-Styles." He looked down at his notepad and tapped it. "The Daily Planet. Good for her." The sound of tires crunching the dirt in the driveway made Perry look up. "Sounds like everyone is back. Which is my cue to go." He rose from his seat, and stretched. "I'd better walk back to town. I don't think I've eaten so much in one afternoon in a long time."

"No." Martha stopped him. "You have to stay for dinner. You've been here all day. You may as well stay, get a insiders view of the Senator and her extended family."

Perry smiled. "Well, now you have my journalistic sensibilities in an uproar. How can I resist?"

"So you'll stay? You can ask Clark about the Ledger…" Martha held out a hand sticky with biscuit dough, her nose wrinkled. "While I get this off my hands. Literally."

There was a knock on the screen door, and Lana smiled at Martha through it. "Mrs. Kent? I wanted to talk to you a minute. Can I come in?"

"Of course, dear. It's open." Martha nodded. "Lana. This is a surprise. Everything okay?"

"Fine...I was hoping to catch Clark and Chloe here. Oh..." Lana turned, blushing a little seeing Perry White at the Kent's kitchen table. "I'm sorry, you have company...I can come back later..."

"Nonsense." Martha said, finally freeing her hands of the raw biscuits. "They all went up to Metropolis. Perry came over to finish the interview we started last night, and Lori stayed behind with me." Lana nodded at Perry politely.

"Clark's girlfriend?" Lana said, smiling. "She seems really nice."

"She's in the living…oh, here she is.." Martha said, as Lori appeared alone in the doorway. "Your friend left?"

"Oh, yes…she wanted me to thank you for a lovely afternoon." Lori said apologetically. "An emergency came up."

"I hope everything is okay." Lana said, and Lori nodded.

"It's fine, Lana. Callie just overreacts sometimes. Mrs. Kent, Clark called. And they are on their way back. He didn't want to interrupt your interview." Lori held up her cell phone. "He said, it's over."

Martha sighed, and then giggled, making Lana and Perry look at her strangely. "Thank God." She walked around the counter, and hugged Lori.

"I feel like we're missing something." Perry said to Lana, who shrugged, used to the odd ways of the Kents. She patted his shoulder sympathetically and sighed.

"That's usual with the Kent family, Mr. White." Lana told him easily, setting her manila folder on the counter. "They're wonderful, but you never really know what the whole story is until they want you to know." Lana winked at Martha and the older woman reached out to pull Lana into the hug.

"Oh, Perry, I'm sorry." Martha finally said, after kissing both girls maternally. "When Clark gets home, we'll tell you the rest." She looked at Lana. "Why don't you tell me what you wanted to talk to me about, Lana?"

"Right." Lana nodded, and opened the folder. "Lex gave the Talon to me. He still wants a small share of the monthly profits, but it's mine." She took out the document and handed it to Martha. "My fath…Henry looked it over and he said it's all in order."

"Why, honey, this is wonderful." Martha took the deed, not looking at it. She smiled at Lana. "You must be so excited."

"I am. I'm thinking of selling it." Lana said quickly, as if she were afraid to say the words. "I'm going apply to the Gotham Institute of Design."

"Lana." Martha set the paperwork back down on the counter. "What made you decide on that? It seems so sudden after you and Lex ended things. I'd hate to see you rush into a decision just to get away."

"It's not that, at all, Mrs. Kent." Lana began, searching for the right words. "I'd have applied there out of high school but..."

Lori smiled and put her hand over Lana's. "Is it what your heart tells you is the right, Lana?"

Lana gasped, placing her small hand around Lori's longer,more elegant one, surprised by the gesture of support. "Yes, actually. It's funny, because I've been so busy being what everyone else wanted me to be, that I lost sight of what I wanted. The fun part of the Talon was restoring it. The coffee shop is great, but I feel like I want more." A small surprised smile played on her lips. "My interest in Astronomy I thought would answer questions I had, but those have been answered and I didn't need to waste time in school to get them."

"Then it is definitely the right thing." Lori said approvingly. "You will be very happy, Lana." Martha nodded, too, smiling.

"I'm looking forward to that. I could stand some happiness, although I'll settle for content." Lana laughed. "I hope I can stay until everyone gets back, I want to tell them myself."

"Of course you should stay." Martha brushed Lana's long hair away from the girl's face gently. "There is plenty for dinner."

"I'd like that." Lana smiled. "I'll just call over to the Talon and tell them I'm here."

"Well, I think this story needs to be in the newspaper. It's something the public needs to know." Perry said when dinner was just a pleasant and filling memory, after hearing about the plot against Martha. He set his napkin down and looked over at Clark. "Want to write it? You have a personal connection to the story. Should elevate it beyond your classic lunch tray article."

"Me, no." Clark said, shaking his head, his mouth curving into an embarrased grin. "Chloe?"

"Wow…I guess I could..." Chloe shrugged. "It hasn't felt like my story, though. Lois is the one that discovered it." She grinned at her cousin brightly, and Lois gasped, dropping her fork. They communicated silently for a moment, and Lori found herself checking to see if the girls were speaking telepathically, but they weren't. All the same, Lois had deciphered Chloe's message and reacted with scandalized horror.

"You can't be thinking I could write it." Lois asked, her voice low. Her cousin nodded brightly, ignoring the panic on Lois' face.

"Why not?" Chloe said, raising her eyebrows. "You wrote that editorial for the Torch about plastic surgery after Abby's mother nearly made you over with meteor rock juice."

"One editorial doesn't make me a writer." Lois scoffed, dismissing the idea, but Perry was watching her intently, listening. All eyes around the table fixed on her, and Lois fidgeted uncomfortably, lifting her chin with pretend bravery that fooled no one but her.

Chloe nodded. "Well, your other articles for the Torch were pretty good too, the love drug one was very insightful. Cousin or not, if they were garbage, I'd have never put them in the Torch at all."

"CHLOEEE." Lois shook her head. "Two years ago." She held up two fingers. "Two"

"Two years ago? Perry asked, his expression not changing. "You wrote them for the Torch, though?"

"Yeah." Lois turned to look at him, her voice edging defensively. "Why?"

"Because I followed the Torch online because of these two." Perry pointed at Chloe and Clark. "But I remember those articles. They were very, very good. Wondered why they stopped."

"She had to go get kicked out of Met U." Clark teased. Lori poked him sharply, but he just grabbed her hand. Oliver and Chloe smiled at each other, then turned to look at Lois, who had blinked at Clark's jibe, but oddly gave no retort. She seemed to be thinking about something.

Finally, Lois blushed, and looked down at her plate. "Chloe's the writer. I'm just Lois. You know, good ol' muffin peddling Lois." Her tone was resigned and a little sad. "I'm not the one anyone expected much of."

"Oh, sweetheart." Martha reached over to clasp Lois' arm. "Jonathan and I always saw such wonderful things in you. It's why he asked you to be his campaign manager. You can do anything you put your mind to. You've done a wonderful job as my chief of staff."

"You _ran_ the Talon for me, Lois." Lana added. "It wasn't just selling muffins and lattes. And you have a knack for people. The two girls you hired are still there, and they're great."

Lois looked up from her plate and over at Perry. "If I write this story, will you publish it?"

Perry nodded. "You bet. Big story. And get picked up by the affiliate papers too, I'm sure. The sources are reliable? In a safe place?"

"Yep." Oliver said. "On my jet, on their way to my place in Montana for now. We have all the info though. Chloe's got the whole thing recorded, too."

"Okay Lane, just write the article." Perry nodded at Lois, his air authoritative and insistent.

"Write it, and we'll break it immediately. When you're done, I'll take it to the Ledger office and get it ready for print."

Lois smiled, a gleam of her usual mischief returning. "Okay, Chief." Her smile widened as it became Perry's turn to frown at the term. "I really like that."

"Don't get used to it, Lane." Perry retorted. "Of all the newspaper slang I hate, it's the habit of calling the editor in chief, 'Chief' that really drives me nuts. It's so," He thought a moment, and nodded. "Black and White movie."

"Gotcha." Lois nodded, dropping an exaggerated wink at him. "Chief." The table erupted in laughter, and Perry found himself laughing too.

"Oliver…" Martha said, looking at him as his remark about the sources sunk in. "You sent those people to your house in Montana, but you have to go back out west. Your company…"

"I'm going to do some work tonight, got my laptop in the car. My jet will be back tomorrow afternoon, and I'll leave then." He looked over at Chloe. "Did you tell everyone yet?"

"No, and I meant to." Chloe laughed, covering her mouth with her right hand. The ring sparkled, and Lois and Lana gasped. "I told Clark this morning but then we got involved with other things." She nodded. "I'm going to Seattle with Oliver tomorrow."

"What?" Lois sputtered. "And you didn't tell ME until now?"

"It all kind of just happened." Chloe explained. "It's just to see it, while Oliver deals with the trouble in his company. I'll be back before Fall semester."

"And the ring?" Lana asked, her eyes smiling. "That's no friendship ring." She took Chloe's hand to examine it. "It's beautiful."

"I know..." Chloe grinned, blushing. She looked at Oliver, who for the first time any of them had ever seen, had the decency to look a happily embarrassed himself. "It's a, um...?"

"It's a 'We're committed to figuring this all out' ring." Oliver finished, taking Chloe's hand. "There, it's official, we said it in front of all these witnesses."

"I don't believe this." Lois exclaimed, partially mad and partially excited. "Why am I always the last to find this stuff out?"

"Because you were busy trying to find out the truth about a big scandal that could have destroyed a state Senator's career." Chloe said proudly. "Lois Joanne Lane, investigative reporter."

"Don't try to butter me up." Lois got up and hugged Chloe tightly, but reached over to slap Oliver on the back of the head. "Did my uncle Gabe approve?"

"Yes." Oliver laughed, rubbing where Lois slapped him. "Ow! You're like a wasp."

"Funny, Clark never complains, and I hit him much harder." Lois sneered. "You must just be a wimp."

"I guess so." Oliver nodded. He grinned at Clark knowingly. "That's probably it."

Lex was alone in his study, going over the Queen Enterprises financial information. If their position weakened much more, a takeover would be child's play. Lex nodded, sipping his scotch. Buying a stock position in the company had given him some leverage, and Lex was sure that Oliver didn't know about that yet. The sound thrashing he intended to deliver to Oliver via this hostile takeover was nothing other than plain revenge. In the background, Lex had chosen a dark orchestral piece to be the soundtrack to his planning - melodramatic, but it made Lex smile. It suited his mood and purpose.

"And revenge is best served cold, right, Lex?" Callista's voice carried across the study, and Lex looked up to see her standing there. "You don't want to hurt Oliver."

"Your little mind tricks won't work on me anymore, Callista. I'm a new man." Lex said, standing. He walked around the desk. "What brings you to Smallville?"

"You." Callista replied. She had not moved from the doorway. "New or old."

Lex smiled, and leaned against the desk. "Really? Because I think you'll find the new me is not at all a nice guy." Callista nodded, and folded her arms over her chest. She seemed to be measuring him.

"I don't know, Lex. I think you passed not nice after you kidnapped me and my friends and put us in tanks." Callista purred, "I think you descended to downright vile then." She walked into the room, pausing just inside the door. "I learned to hate you."

"And yet, here you are." Lex remarked casually, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Here I am." Callista moved toward him, her voice taunting, alluring. "Completely in your power."

"I doubt that's entirely true." Lex closed the distance between them. "Did you come to save Oliver?"

"No, that was just a whim I had when I read your mind." Callista smirked, and Lex fought the urge to bruise her mouth with kisses. "Oliver is a friend, I don't want him hurt."

"So, why are you here?" Lex asked, and Callista looked up into his eyes. The darkness had grown, and she felt it boring deeper into his soul. It could not be too late to save him from it. Her other mission was darker yet, and only her complete obedience to her orders would save Atlantis this time. All that mattered was that Lori returned home alive.

"I'm giving myself to you. Body and soul. I love you, Lex." Callista told him, and Lex softened at that, the bleakness in him retreating just a breath back.

"Powerful word, Love." Lex touched her cheek. "From such a powerful warrior."

"Then you know what it means." Callista said, both disgusted and delighting in his touch.

"There's no going back."

"I do." Lex told Callista, taking her in his arms to punish her with a savage kiss. "You can never go back."

Lori felt the stirring of alarm within her. Everyone here in the Kent house was well and contented. Without warning, Callista's thoughts came to her on a crest of awareness that nearly blinded Lori completely

:_Lex is planning a hostile takeover of Oliver's company. Tell Oliver to do what it takes to stop him:_ Lori could see Callista submitting to Lex, and was completely revolted at the sight. . Lex Luthor had been removed as an obstacle that could have barred Lori's return home. It was clear to Lori now what Callista's purpose was in coming back, what her orders were. Tears in her eyes, Lori blinked against the thoughts, forcing them away, not wanting to think about her old friend and instead looked around the Kent house at her new friends.

Lori studied Oliver, who was frowning over his laptop at the Kent's table, just as Lois too, sat hunched over Chloe's working on her article. Chloe and Lana were discussing their future plans,and Clark had excused himself from the group, outside on the porch, alone. Lori finished drying dishes while Perry washed and Martha wrapped leftovers. Such menial tasks would be forbidden soon, Lori thought, setting the bright dishtowel on the counter.

She reached out to Oliver, sending Callista's warning telepathically. He looked up, his dark green eyes searching her face, thinking more questions than he could voice at once. Lori nodded, and a slow, triumphant grin spread across Oliver's face. Lori could feel the weight of his worry lift, and as he looked back at the laptop screen, a plan had begun to form in his mind to save his father's company. Satisfied, Lori went outside to slide her arm around Clark's waist and rest her head on his shoulder. He was facing west, his eyes fixed on the setting sun and his thoughts were a million miles away. Lori stopped herself from reading further, and spoke instead.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, and Clark put his arm around her, not looking away from the sunset.

"My future." Clark replied quietly. "My future and your place in it."

"I see." Lori smiled. "I have no wish to ever leave here."

"But what if you have to?" Clark asked, looking away from the glorious western sky. His eyes were full of conflict and pain. "What if you have to save your world and that is the only way to do it?" Lori had felt the waves of despair that came away from him when Clark had returned from his father's fortress, and they had not subsided much in the days that had passed. But there was no softening the inevitable anymore.

Lori shook her head. "It's my choice. I am only one of many."

"You are a princess of your people, Lori. Your choices affect all of Atlantis." Clark looked back at the horizon. "That's what I've been thinking about."

"Clark." Lori sighed. "I can't make promises. You are in no position to demand answers from me when you cannot give them yourself. I do want to stay here with you, forever. I love this place." She looked out at the farm. "Clark, you have a place in destiny too."

"Do I?" Clark asked, "I've heard that, but I don't believe it. Why should I have a place in destiny? What makes me different than anyone else? "

"Indeed." Lori snapped, her temper flaring. "Ever person in that house right now has a place in destiny, Clark. Do you think it an accident that Lana Lang has rediscovered her interest in art? No. It is her destiny. Or that Chloe is encouraging her cousin to write the article about the foiled plot against your mother? No. Because Chloe, human though she is, recognizes her cousin's destiny. You are the only one avoiding yours, Clark. Why? What frightens you?" Lori chided, wincing at her words. He was not the only one avoiding the future, and she knew it.

"When I was fifteen, I met an old woman named Cassandra. She showed me my future. I was surrounded by the graves of everyone I loved and I was alone. Later, a boy named Jordan told me that he saw me going on and on…" Clark shook his head. "I don't know if I'm immortal or not, Lori. If embracing my destiny means that I will live forever, I don't want to. I don't want to see all of my friends grow old and die while I stay how I am."

"The price we pay for this earthly existence, Clark, is that we have no choice. Sometimes, it seems we do, and then eventually, the choices are made for us. You do not wish to see your loved ones grow old and die. I understand that. But if you had to stand by and watch while they were picked off, or preyed upon, wouldn't that be worse? What if you knew that by embracing your destiny, your loved ones would never have to lose a nights sleep in fear for their lives." Lori said, her words for herself as well. "I cannot let you deny that which is just as large a part of you as your heart is."

"Even if it means we can't be together anymore?" Clark asked, kissing her temple. Lori sighed, resting against Clark softly. She needed to speak, to tell him everything. But Lois clearing her throat interrupted Lori as she was about to answer. The young woman stood on the porch, just outside the screen door, looking a little lost.

"I want Clark to proofread this for me." Lois smiled apologetically, and held out her article.

"Me? Chloe is inside, she can do it." Clark said chafing at the interruption, and Lori frowned at him. He widened his eyes pleadingly at her and Lori smiled, shaking her head as she looked up into his eyes.

_:Be kind, love. She will not ask you in a more clear way to be your friend than asking for your help. Don't let your pride blind you. Lois is a good person.:_

Clark rolled his eyes grudgingly. "Sure, Lois. I'll look at it."

"You are the only one not doing anything." Lois said uncomfortably, casting about for an excuse. "Chloe and Lana are talking about Gotham…."

"No, it's okay." Clark said, reading the article. He frowned. "Did you mean to write this? Lois, your spelling hasn't improved since the Torch at all. You know, the computer has spell check, right?"

"Shut up. Where are you talking about?" Lois walked over and looked at her article over Clark's arm, reaching over him to point at the section he was reading. "Here?"

"Yeah, "The truthiness of the situation was revealed…?' Truthiness is not a word."

"It is so." Lois insisted. "I saw it on television."

Clark smiled tolerantly. "Right. I saw that too, but you're not even using 'truthiness' right."

"Hmmm." Lois bit on her lip, and suddenly Clark was stricken by how similar to Chloe Lois could be at times. This impression swiftly vanished as Lois snatched the paper from his hands impatiently. "That's it, right?"

"No, that's not it." Clark laughed, taking the article back. "Do you want my help or not? There's a few other things here that we need to work through."

"Only if you can be helpful and not smug." Lois countered and Clark shrugged, his eyes teasing.

"Come on…" Clark smiled at Lori, who nodded in approval as he went inside with Lois to edit the article. Lori hugged herself, watching the last glorious crimson streaks of sunset blast across the sky, mingling with the blues and purples of the arriving night. Clark's question haunted her.

"_Even if it means we can't be together anymore?"_

She closed her eyes, reveling in the green scent of the new growing things around her, and the caress of the summer breeze. Giving Clark up would be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do. Her answer hovered around her heart, daring to be spoken but Lori defied it. _Not yet, not yet._ But it would not be denied, and spoke itself to her heart. _You must return, and fulfill your predestined role. Queen of Lyonesse. And Clark cannot follow you. This is how it must be._

Leaning her head against the porch post, Lori sobbed, tears streaming from her eyes, crystal drops of spring water. To make such a discovery as precious as her love for Clark was and then to be fortune's fool! It was enough to break her heart here and now. Lori heard a burst of laughter from inside, and turned to see Perry regaling the others with a story, one Clark seemed to play a part in, miming the spilling of a vessel in surprise. She wiped her eyes and smiled. Until the day came when she had to leave, Lori resolved to never miss another such story, to never be away from Clark more than the hours needed to sleep. If she must sacrifice her love for him in the name of duty and honor, memories would have to sustain them both.


	17. Episode VS 17 Eschatology

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season – Episode 17 – **Eschatology**

Eschatology - Part One

By Denise (kdsch123)

Acknowledgments: WB and DC own these characters. I'm just playing at making them do what I want them to do. Also, as of this episode, we are in the beginning of the final arc of the VS.

**From Merriam-Webster Dictionary:**

**Eschatology - a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind**.

Headlines from the Smallville Ledger and the Daily Planet:

**PLOT TO IMPLICATE SENATOR MARTHA KENT IN CORRUPTION SCANDAL EXPOSED!** – Lois J. Lane, special to the Smallville Ledger

**LOIS LANE RESIGNS CABINET POSITION WITH STATE SENATOR MARTHA KENT** – Staff Writer

**MANIPULATING THE MEDIA – OBSERVATIONS FROM AN EDITOR'S DESK**.- Editorial by Perry White, Editor

From the Daily Planet Travel Page:

**SEEING SEATTLE** – Notes from a Kansas Girl's Blog. – Chloe Sullivan, columnist

The offices of the Smallville Ledger were humming. Clark sat at his desk, searching for background on a piece Perry was planning about the subsidizing of crops by the Federal government. The part time job at the Ledger was actually pretty interesting, Clark had developed a new appreciation for journalism and the world of the reporter. He even had access to a police scanner, which in Lowell County seemed to pretty much just provide white noise most of the time. It would chirp to life occasionally to report a pile up on the Interstate ramp, or like this morning, when Mr. Hartley's prize cow was inexplicably found walking up Main Street. It had been a month since he'd started this job, on Chloe's urging as she climbed into Oliver's plane, bound for Seattle. As it turned out, Clark was enjoying this very much, learning a lot and getting needed credit toward his degree. It could have been perfect, except for one not so small thing. Lois.

"Oh, Clarkie…" Lois crooned, tossing a wadded up piece of paper at him from her desk just across the room. It hit his desk and skittered off and onto the floor. "Did you find that stuff I asked you for?" Lois' article about the thwarted scandal had become a national headline, which had both thrilled and frightened Lois to no end. She was currently working on a story about the latest meeting of the Lowell County Commissioners, and Clark, as Perry's editorial assistant also was expected to provide support to the staff reporters when needed. It was a working arrangement that Clark hated. Lois was demanding, spelling deficient and showing quite a talent for finding her story. Clark was methodical, detail oriented and had an eye for the kind of story Chloe and now Perry called 'human interest'. They actually worked quite well together. When they weren't bickering.

"Yes, Lois." Clark eyed the heap of magazines and clippings in her inbox that wobbled at she searched. "I left the research on your chair, blue folder."

"Oh." Lois replied, looking down at her desk again, and then snatched the folder. "Here it is. Thanks, Smallville." She grinned at him brightly, putting the file down on the towering inbox. The pile shifted strongly to the right, promising to litter the floor with the next strong breeze, and Clark resisted the urge to blow on the stack to send the papers scattering all over the newsroom.

"Don't mention it." Clark shook his head, smiling as an alert popped up on his computer screen. Irritation forgotten, Clark looked up and waved at Lois. "Hey, Lois! Chloe just emailed..."

"Oh? Any word from the wandering Sullivan when she'll be home?" Lois asked eagerly, moving around her desk and across to Clark's as he opened the email. "Your desk is so neat, Clark. Don't you ever actually work ?" She glanced over the pristine desktop, and picked up the framed photo Clark had there, a group picture from the last night they were all together. Lois frowned at the picture and then set it down silently. There was something odd about Lori in the picture that bothered Lois very much, although Clark had dismissed it when Lois first told him about it. In the picture, Lori was turning away from the camera, caught between Oliver and Clark, and looked for all the world like she was almost invisible. It was a trick of the light, Lois told herself reasonably, but it unnerved her all the same, because it just shouldn't be. And yet, there it was. In beautiful Kodak color.

"All the time, Lois. I just have a different way of working than you." Clark replied, his attention drawn to Chloe's email. Lois sighed and leaned over his shoulder to read the email too.

"_Greetings from (non) Sunny Seattle!_

_All is well, and I am fine. If Smallville got one tenth of the rain Seattle got, the corn would be massive! I think you need to be part duck to live here. (Quack!) Anyway, Dad is settled in his new place…he's got a houseboat in town, walking distance to this huge marketplace where the fish guys THROW fish at you. I wish you would just come on out here with one of your mom's peach pies and see the town with me. :( Oliver is good too. He's been really, really busy with the doings at work. Big things happening, and I can't (I WANT TO TELL!) fill you guys in, but it will be on the news in the next day or so._

_I'm really liking it here. Seattle is such a big city, with tons to do. My internship is going well, and other than the clippings I've sent to you, I've had two or three little articles in the paper. The University of Washington at Seattle is amazing too. I know I said I'd be back before the new semester started, but I haven't decided what to do about coming home…"_

"Hi." Clark looked up from the e-mail and Lori smiled back at him. "Brought you lunch from the Talon. Lana suggested the chicken salad." She held a large white bag and a drink carrier. Lori set the bag on Clark's desk and fished out a clear bowl filled with dark green leaves. "I brought you a spinach salad, Lois, extra bacon." Lori wrinkled her nose, but the other girl took the offering with enthusiasm.

"Thanks, Lori." Lois said gratefully. "Is that an iced coffee, too? You're the best. That's not yours is it, Smallville?" Lois snatched the cup and walked back to her desk, carrying it and the salad greedily. "Yum."

"Thanks." Clark smiled up at his girlfriend, embarrassed by Lois' behavior. "Sorry. She was raised by wolves." They both looked at Lois, who had set her salad on the desk and as soon as she sat down, the inbox pile slid to the floor in a fluttery heap. Groaning, Lois got up again to pick up the papers, grumbling to herself. Lori laughed softly and sat down in the chair next to Clark's desk, moving slowly and deliberately as if each step were an effort.

"It was hers anyway. I never drink coffee." Lori smiled, taking a large bottle of water out of the white bag. She looked over at the computer screen. "Is that from Chloe?"

"Yeah. She's said it's rainy in Seattle." Clark unwrapped his sandwich and then looked over at Lori, who was sipping daintily on her water. "Aren't you eating?"

"I bought myself a sandwich, too, but I don't feel like eating right now.." Lori replied, looking at the water with a frown. "Nothing tastes right." She smiled, and then closed her eyes, seeming to sag in the chair. "I'm so tired lately."

"Tired?" Clark asked, putting down his sandwich. "You've been sort of pale the last couple of days. Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh.." Lori raised her hands to her face. "Studying too much, I guess. I'll go to the lake tonight and swim. Why don't you come with me?"

"Sounds good." Clark grinned, reaching for her hand. "It's a date. I'd love to go swimming with you."

"That would be wonderful, Clark!" Lori's smile grew wide and happy. "Under the full moon." She squeezed Clark's hand. "That's just what I need."

"Me too." Clark replied. "It's been a busy few weeks. Are you sure that's all it is? Being tired?"

"I am positive." Lori took a big drink of her water and nodded toward the computer screen. "What else did Chloe have to say?"

Clark nodded. "Chloe said...she's not sure when she's coming home..." Clark sighed. "She's vague about what's going on with Oliver, and it sounds like she likes Seattle a lot." He looked over at her, slightly deflated.

"You miss her." Lori said matter of factly, with no trace of jealousy at all. "It's hard to have your best friend so far away. But Chloe seems happy, right?"

"I'm happy she's happy and I like Oliver. But I'm used to having Chloe around." Clark said. First Pete, now Chloe. "

Lori sighed. The inevitable forward motion of growing into one's destiny was a hard process for Clark. She sometimes found herself wondering if it was a challenge for all Kryptonians, or just for Clark. Her increasing physical weakness was a sign that her time with him was growing even shorter. "They have chosen their paths, Clark. Eventually you will either choose yours or you will find yourself on one, without having a choice."

"From the Daily Planet Business Section:

**QUEEN INDUSTRIES REGROUPS AS HOSTILE TAKEOVER LOOMS. – OLIVER QUEEN CONFIDENT FAMILY COMPANY WILL WITHSTAND CRISIS**. – Chloe Sullivan, correspondent.

**LUTHORCORP STOCK JUMPS FIVE POINTS ON RUMOR OF POSSIBLE ACQUISITION OF QUEEN ENTERPRISES**. - courtesy of Bloomberg News Wire

From the Smallville Ledger "Around Town" Section:

**DESIGNING A NEW FUTURE: The potential sale of the Talon brings up new questions for the look of downtown Smallville**. – Clark Kent

**A DAY WITH MARTHA KENT, STATE SENATOR, MOTHER, BLUE RIBBON WINNER AND FRIEND**. – Perry White, editor

Lex set the Smallville Ledger down on his desk with a snort. The White piece about spending the day with Martha in the Kent Farm kitchen was sentimental and completely perfect. In the ubiquitous polls that hovered over every politician, Martha Kent's approval rating had shot through the roof, and her literacy bill had swept the State Senate almost unanimously. Failure hadn't been expected, but Lex smiled anyway. White's article was proof positive that Lex had been successful in the arena that mattered most. The last thing on Martha Kent's mind was a relationship with his father, and that's the way Lex wanted it. And not because he objected to Martha as a person, either. In fact, it was Martha Kent that Lex found he objected to least out of the Kents right now or ever, for that matter. Lex had always thirsted for any word of approval from Jonathan Kent, and wished to God that his mother had been as stable and constant as Clark's mother. Martha Kent was one of the things Clark Kent had that Lex coveted. However, she was also a powerful weapon against his father. Placing obstacles between Lionel and Martha Kent was a game Lex enjoyed tremendously. It kept Lionel occupied and less inclined to ask questions and that was what Lex really wanted. Also, it wasn't often that such leverage over Lionel presented itself, and Lex knew that careful exploitation of his father's weaknesses could only continue to keep the old man off balance. Lex had also expected another visit from Clark when after the corruption scandal news had broken, but the younger man had not burst through the study doors full of righteous indignation. Instead, there had been silence. That in and of itself had shaken Lex to his foundations.

If any other two events this month had thrown him off, they were the re-appearance of Callista in his life, which was a still unfolding event, and the "For Sale" sign in the Talon window three days after he had signed the place over to Lana. Lex had wanted to ask what was going on, and finally, a mention in Clark's debut article in the Smallville Ledger about the surprising renaissance of downtown Smallville had given him the answer as to why. Lana was going to design school in Gotham City. Lex found himself slightly annoyed at Lana's planned defection from Smallville. He had resigned himself to losing her as part of his ongoing research into Clark Kent. There was no avoiding that and it wasn't a huge loss considering Lex was now completely aware of Clark's secret. But Lana leaving Smallville was something Lex had never considered. And the knowledge that Lana's life would go on without him knowing about it first was quite disturbing. Lex had orchestrated most of the significant events of Lana's young adulthood, and having her grow up enough to leave was unnerving. The sudden maturity of Clark and now Lana was something Lex had never prepared for. He supposed it had to happen sometime. However, there were some issues of family business that needed to be addressed, and Lex went to his wine cellar purposefully, thinking of Edgar Allen Poe and that particular cask of Portuguese brandy that had spelled death for one unhappy traitor. He knew exactly what brandy would be perfect for this little get together with Lionel, and Lex smiled. It wasn't every day that he and Lionel could meet and settle their differences. And today was a very significant day in the Luthor family history books.

"This is all very interesting, Lex." Lionel said later, holding the brandy glass under his nose. "A Lafitte, you say?" He swirled the thick liquid around the glass and sniffed again, his eyes gleaming with pleasure.

"I knew you'd appreciate the vintage, Dad." Lex smiled. "You know, you and I have been very distant lately, Dad. I've missed our little chats, in spite of the fact of how vicious they can be. This summer has been hell."

Lionel paused, the glass hovering just near enough to his lips that he could taste the brandy. He moved the glass and raised it to his son. "To repairing family ties."

Lex saluted Lionel as well. "To family and family traditions." They both drank.

"This year has been hell, hasn't it son?" Lionel said, after savoring the cognac on his palette and swallowing it. The warmth rushed through him, and he smiled. "I have to say, Lex, I've been concerned for your mental state."

"I wondered." Lex replied, setting his glass down on the bar. "Your involvement in my love life has been equally intriguing to me. But then, you never could quite resist interfering."

"Now, Lex." Lionel's voice was as silky and smooth as the brandy they were drinking. "Lana Lang had such a soothing influence over you, I had hoped to encourage her to look past whatever transgression you'd committed and stay. It was fatherly concern on my part."

"I gathered." Lex opened a bottle of water and drank, eyeing his father carefully. "Because you've kept your distance from Callista."

Lionel nodded. "I hardly know the girl, Lex. Lana Lang has been acquainted with our family since we came to Smallville. I had no problem discussing your welfare with her. This Callista person is entirely new."

Lex smiled, and offered his father more cognac. "Dad? I can't drink anymore of this now…I have a meeting. But you?"

"It's not every day you come across a Lafitte." Lionel replied, accepting another snifterful. "I wonder that you didn't save it for a special occasion."

"Oh, I did." Lex said neutrally, and Lionel felt his body grow very heavy. He staggered into a chair, dropping the glass on the floor. The heavy crystal snifter struck a note before it shattered, and Lionel sagged in the chair, his lungs seeming to fill with fluid. "Keeping an old family tradition alive and well." Lex tipped his head, and smiled. "Although the tradition was never about living, was it? Even on the same day, too."

"Lex…." Lionel gasped, and Lex knelt down and looked into his father's face. "What have you…"

"You were right to question my mental state, Dad. Right, but for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't LEX that was here after the whole Zod fiasco. He was stupid enough to trust the aliens. No, no…I'd never be that foolish." Lex blinked. "Still trying to figure it out, Dad? Well, let me illuminate you. I'm Alexander. But everyone can call me Lex. It's easier."

"Alexander?" Lionel choked, reaching out. "What the hell….?" His eyes widened. "Your mother…"

"Was unstable. I know." Lex stood at parade rest and watched as the color drained from Lionel's thin face. "You had so much fun testing her limits, didn't you? Well, you created me in the process. Testing my limits when you pushed her to the end of hers." He leaned forward again. "Your 'Lex' couldn't have taken that pressure alone. So, Darwin was right. The strongest did survive. ME."

"Help me…" Lionel's voice was barely a whisper. "The bottle, poisoned…"

"I know. Poetic, isn't it?" Lex smiled. "I saved it. All this time. It's one of the ones you tampered with for my sake a few years ago. I even developed a small tolerance for the toxin, too. Just like the medieval princes who took a dose of poison every day to protect themselves from assassins. Funny you never thought of doing that, Dad." Lex's face changed, the mask of civility gone, and Lionel could see his own father staring coldly down on him. "But I wanted to give you one last gesture of respect. One you denied your own parents."

Lionel wheezed, trying to sit up in the chair but only managed to slide further down. "What is it…"

"I wanted you to look into the eyes of your murderer as you died. Just a little token of affection you denied your own parents." Lex's voice was flat and emotionless as Lionel began to writhe in pain. "You let them burn to death in a slum apartment. It took them hours to die. Very crude, Dad. You are in pain right now, but it won't last long. I'll even stay here with you."

Lionel managed a smile. "….should have strangled you in your crib…."

"Like Julian?" Lex's reply was swift, and Lionel's eyes, now nearly black as the pupils had dilated to almost their maximum fluttered in pain. "I wondered why I survived at all. But I did tell you the truth when you were in jail, Dad. Remember what I said?"

Lionel nodded. "…don't.…wound…what….you…can't….kill….."

"That's right." Lex sipped at his water. "Did you know there is a mineral in this water that counteracts the effect of the toxin? I discovered that after you tried this on me. Unfortunately, this is the last bottle." Lex smiled. "Goodbye, Dad." He saluted his father with the mineral water and walked around to sit down at his desk again. "I'm going to finish this up for my meeting. Then, I'll call for help." Lionel rasped and leaned forward choking, and Lex smiled beatifically. "Don't try and thank me, either, Dad. You deserved the Lafitte." He looked back at his laptop screen and counted to ten. Lionel gasped, shuddered and fell forward, hitting the carpet under the desk with a soft, thick thud.

**"...it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..."**

**Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities"**

**Part II - 9/10/06**

Lana was sitting in the Talon, at the counter, going over the offers she'd received for the place. Her acceptance package from the Gotham Institute of Design lay on the counter nearby. The figures for tuition had nearly given Henry a seizure but he had written the check for the first semester's tuition and board anyway. Nell had first mourned the loss of Lex Luthor in Lana's life, but when the plan of school in Gotham City sunk in, Lana could feel Nell's disappointment turn into hope once more. Of the offers on the table for the Talon, none stood out as a major contender. Lois, Martha and Lori had all encouraged her to keep it, to depend on the profits as an income so she could focus on school. Chloe, Clark and Oliver, all a bit concerned about Lex's minimal involvement, were of the viewpoint that the place should be sold and Lana's fresh start completely free of the Luthor family shadow. Lana's reasons for selling the Talon were more inline with that of Clark, Chloe and Oliver. She wanted the money for her tuition, so she wasn't a burden to Henry or Nell. Getting out from Lex's shadow wasn't really something Lana had even considered. Clark had his reasons to be suspicious of Lex, and they were valid, Lana thought, seeing Lex's Clark Kent trophy room in her mind. Not for the first time since she learned the truth about Clark, Lana regretted every harsh word she had spoken to him during the days after their break up. Clark was happy with Lori now, and Lana was glad. It was hard not to like the tall blonde, with her calm manner and ready smile.

The sound of sirens screaming down Main Street toward Smallville Medical Center drew Lana out of her thoughts, and she looked out the windows as the red and white ambulance passed. A familiar low slung silver blur followed behind and Lana slid off her stool, eyes wide. She swept her papers into the large totebag she'd been carrying them in.

"I'll be back in a little while..." Lana called to no one, and ran out the door to her own car. Lex following an ambulance couldn't be good, and even if they were over, she thought, he might need a friend.

Lana saw Lex's car parked out in front of the Emergency Room, so she pulled her Jeep into an actual spot and made her way in. The emergency room was practically empty, except for a young woman Lana recognized instantly from the night at the Metropolis Grand and Lex's office not all that long ago. Except she looked very different now. Callista sat in one of the purple plastic chairs, tapping her booted foot on the floor anxiously. She was paler than Lana recalled, her spiky black hair grown out softer and more feminine looking, the intimidating leather clothes exchanged for a soft grey blouse and faded jeans. Her eyes had not changed, and Lana felt a chill race up her spine as they took her in and gave away none of the other girl's thoughts. It was the surprised and slightly ironic smile that let Lana know that Callista recognized her too.

"I hope you don't have someone in this place." Callista said by way of greeting. "It's awful."

"Is Lex alright?" Lana asked, catching her breath. Callista's almond shaped eyes widened and then she nodded.

"Lex is fine. It's his father." Callista rose, walking to the windows. "He collapsed today in the study at the mansion. Lex said they were talking and suddenly Lionel just fell out of his chair. He was barely breathing when the ambulance came." Her tone was guarded, but Lana set her bag down and walked over to Callista, peering over at the other girl as if trying to read her thoughts.

"You don't sound like you believe him." Lana said, and Callista nodded. "You don't trust him..."

"I don't." Callista pushed her hands into her pockets. "I can't explain it to you, but I don't. But that doesn't matter sometimes, does it?"

"I understand." Lana replied wisely. "Lex has a way of making you attached to him."

There was a long silence and the girls just stood at the window, watching activity in the parking lot, both lost in their own thoughts. Callista sighed, and hugged herself, turning away from the sun to sit back down in the purple chair.

"I have failed again." Callista muttered, dropping her head into her hands sadly. "And I have lost sight of my other task."

Lana frowned. "You aren't responsible for saving Lex or Lionel from themselves." She sank down into the blue chair next to Callista. "You can't believe that for a second."

Callista looked up, and stared at Lana as if she was seeing her for the first time. "I have no reason to doubt it, Lana Lang. If not for me, Lex would have been dead and you and I would not be sitting here now."

Lana's frown grew deeper. "What are you talking about?" She asked, and Callista shrugged her shoulders, unwilling to say any more. "Why are you here?" Ever since the days of Isobel, Lana had flashes of what she called intuition. And that instinct was warning her now. This girl beside her was not human. Before Lana could speak, Lex appeared through the swinging doors that led to the examination area of the Emergency Room. If seeing Lana sitting beside Callista was a surprise, Lex gave no sign. Callista didn't rise to meet him, but Lana did. He walked toward them with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the floor.

"Lex?" Lana asked hesitantly, unprepared for the emotion in his eyes when he looked up. Pain lingered there, but Lana saw something else too, something that having lost her own parents so young she could barely comprehend it's presence in his face. "How's Lionel?"

"Lana." Lex said, nodding. "My father died. About ten minutes ago."

"I'm so sorry, Lex." Lana told him, forcing herself to not reach out to hug him. Something in his behavior was off. Peering up at him questioningly, Lana put her hand on his arm gently. "Are you okay?"

"It's all so sudden. We were talking about the company, and the new direction I want to take things and he sat down. I thought he'd maybe had a little too much brandy…he was excited about this unique vintage he'd found…and next thing I knew he was on the floor."

Lex's voice was sincere, and he took his hands out of his pockets to take Lana's hand. "It was good of you to come. I wondered if when we passed the Talon…"

"Lex, we may not be together anymore, but that doesn't meant that I don't care." Lana said, and then she turned to Callista. "I don't want to intrude, so I'll go." Callista nodded, and Lana shouldered her bag and walked to the waiting room doors.

"Lana.." Lex called out to her quietly, and Lana stopped, closing her eyes before she faced him again. His grey eyes were neutral, expressionless. "Dad thought very highly of you. He trusted you."

Lana nodded, holding onto the strap of her bag tightly. "Goodbye, Lex. I'm really very sorry." She waved awkwardly and turned, going through door and out into the beautiful summer afternoon, taking large gulps of fresh air.

Clark sat at his desk, staring at the email Chloe had sent, working on a reply.

He was worried about Lori, and not having Chloe to turn to was hard. She had been right, as Chloe often was, that they depended on each other almost too much, because now Clark was lost without her. He looked up at Lois, who was furiously tapping away at her article, a pencil clamped between her teeth. Clark studied her for a moment and wondered what crime he had committed to be here in this place with Lois instead of Chloe. His instinct to trust her was juxtaposed with her complete capacity to annoy him.

"Kent! Lane!" Perry bellowed from his office. "Get in here!" Clark stood to go, but Lois stayed in her seat, frowning at the computer screen. Perry's head appeared from around the doorframe. "KENT! LANE! While we're young!"

"Smallville and I are young, Chief, but don't you think it's a bit of a stretch saying you are?" Lois retorted, dropping her chewed pencil on her messy desk. Perry grimaced, and ducked back into his office. She stood and walked around her desk, past Clark and into Perry's office. Clark sighed, and followed, closing the door behind him.

"Nice of you to finally drop in." Perry said, fixing Lois with a stern glare. "I just got off the phone with a source at the Medical Center. Lionel Luthor is dead. I already called down to the printing room to scrap the evening edition for the special edition going out instead. 'LOCAL BILLIONAIRE FOUND DEAD.' It's prosaic but it works for the moment. I already put together a quick piece for the front page."

"What?" Clark gasped. "There has to be a mistake." Lois nodded, putting her hands on her hips as if to steady herself.

"No, no mistake." Perry shook his head. "The coroner hasn't started an autopsy yet, either. So, you two need to get out to the mansion and find the story. Because it's there."

"Can't we just say that being a nogoodnik caught up with him?" Lois quipped, and Perry and Clark both looked at her questioningly. She sighed. "Did your source say how Lionel might have died?"

"Nope, only that he was dead, not a mark on him and found on the floor of the study in that haunted house they live in." Perry waved at Lois, dismissing her. "Go find the story, Lane. It's there, I can feel it. Kent, I want you to cover the funeral."

"Okay, Perry." Clark nodded and then looked up, surprised. "Why?"

"Listen kid,I want you to write that funeral the way only you can. Make me cry, and you'll be the king of human interest pieces. I want Lois investigating because she's got no prior history with the Luthors. I don't want any former friendship blocking up the truth, no matter how well meaning it would be." Perry looked at Clark over his glasses. "Okay?"

"I understand." Clark replied, and Lois nodded, pushing past Clark to leave Perry's office. She was already on the phone. Perry watched her go and then turned back to Clark.

"I already called your mother – she's on her way home now. Go on. See what you can find as background for your assignment. I'll look through my old files and see what I have." Perry took off his glasses. "I gotta tell you, this is as big a shock for me as it is you, Clark. I thought that bastard would live forever, or outlive me, anyway." Perry's phone rang, and when the editor answered it with, "Yeah, Sheriff, it's Perry White, at the Ledger...", Clark left the office.

Back at his desk, his cellphone was ringing. _Chloe._ Clark answered it on the third ring. "I was just going to call you." He said in greeting. Clark could hear her on the other end of the line, holding her breath.

"Clark. Lois just called. I can't believe it." Chloe's voice was music to Clark's ears. "We all are flying out to Smallville tonight. Oliver just called the airfield get the plane ready."

"Chloe, they found him without a mark on him." Clark told her, and he could hear her rapidly typing on her keyboard. "What are you doing?" he asked and Chloe giggled.

"Just trying to hack into good ol' Smallville Medical Center's patient files." She was quiet for a moment. "Damn! Gone for a month and the encryption codes are changed. "

Clark laughed. "What about your friend, the one that works at the morgue? Perry said there was going to be an autopsy."

"Chad? Yeah..." Chloe replied. "Lois went out to the mansion to see if the police found anything, but let me call Chad and see if he can get you in to see Lionel's body before the autopsy. Maybe you can do that thing you do and find something."

"Great. You're a lifesaver, Chloe." Clark smiled and he could hear her smiling back. "Got your email earlier. Glad things are going well out there."

"Yeah, they're blissful, when I can see Oliver. Otherwise, it's just a city. Dad's houseboat is nice, bigger than anywhere else we've ever called home. I love it." Chloe replied. "Okay. I'm going to call Chad and get packed. We should be flying into Smallville around ten, Oliver said. Meet us, okay?"

"Of course." Clark agreed, and then remembered. "I can't, Chloe. I have a date with Lori…"

"Oh. That's okay." Chloe sounded a little disappointed, but it passed quickly. "We have reservations at that inn, you know the one near the library?"

"Right." Clark nodded. "I'll see you all there later."

"Good. See you later." Chloe said and hung up. Clark hung up his phone and looked down at his desk again. He thought for a moment and then headed out to the morgue. Chloe would be calling Chad right now.

"Well, well, Lois Lane." Lex said, as Lois walked up the driveway toward him, followed by an older man with a camera. "I don't see a delivery from the Talon. Or are you here on a mission for Martha Kent? Oh, that's right, you are a reporter now. You look a little old to keep changing your mind about what you want to be when you grow up."

"Cute, Lex." Lois smiled at him humorlessly. "But then, I didn't just ride my daddy's coattails to the executive washroom like you did. Not much of a challenge there, right? I'm here about Lionel. A source at the hospital said he came in DOA this afternoon." She turned to the man with her. "Get some outside shots, Frank." The man nodded and moved off, snapping pictures of the police cars in front of the house.

Lex's eyes sparked at the challenge. "So, this is a reporter visit. Well, Lois, as your cousin could tell you, I don't give interviews that easily. And this really isn't the right time for one. And that photographer is an invasion of my privacy."

"Funny, Chloe wasn't handing out pointers on getting interviews with you when I got the job on the Ledger. We're not in the house, so your privacy is still sacred, Lex. But, since you're here, and I'm here, why not just tell me what happened today?" Lois took out a small recorder and pressed record.

Lex leaned over and spoke into the recorder, carefully annunciating every syllable.

"No comment at this time." Lois snapped off the recorder, and Lex smiled. "That was clear enough, wasn't it? Should I use smaller words?"

"Perfectly clear. No problem." Lois slid the recorder back into her bag and took out a notepad. "Hmm. Already spoke to the servants, and the police. I have a copy of the preliminary police report. More than enough for the start of my story." She flashed a smile at him. "Cooperate or not, Lex. I'll get the truth about what happened here one way or another." She pushed the notepad back into her purse as well, and walked away toward the sheriff and his deputies. "See ya, Lex."

Frank hurried to catch up with Lois, but Lex stopped him, and reached for the camera. Callista blinked as Lois turned quickly and stalked back, pushing herself between Lex and the photographer like a blooded warrior. Eye to eye with Lex, Lois did not waiver at all, and Callista found herself very impressed with this human. She had nerves of steel.

"Let go of that camera, Lex." Lois growled. "You maybe got away with that crap before I was around, but not anymore." She closed her hands around the camera and yanked it away from Lex, and then placed it firmly in Frank's hands. "Go ahead, Frank. Get back to the paper." Lois never broke eye contact with Lex and they stared at each other like two wolves.

"This is no game, Lois. Even if you get bored with reporting and decide to become a stripper, if you are on my wrong side, you'll regret it." Lex said neutrally, adjusting his jacket smoothly. "Oh, that's right, you've already been a stripper, haven't you?"

"I don't think I'd call it stripping, Lex. I was helping clear the name of a good friend of the Kents. And getting on your wrong side?" Lois replied calmly, an eyebrow raised over her dark hazel eyes. "The more I think about it, that's a risk I'm willing to take. Buh-bye, Lex." Lois turned on one heel and marched down the driveway to speak to the waiting sheriff.

"When Chloe called, I was sort of surprised." Chad told Clark as they walked down the hall toward the examination room of the morgue. "It's been awhile."

"She's been busy." Clark said in reply, and Chad shrugged in acknowledgement.

"I know it. Chloe's awesome." Chad noted. "Figures she'd end up with someone rich."

"Yeah." Clark agreed, smiling at Chad's comment. This was the first time he was meeting the famous Chad. However, Chad was no longer a Goth. He was simply dressed in the uniform of most hospital workers, cotton scrubs, and they weren't even black. Chad looked down and grinned.

"Oh, yeah. Green's not my usual color, I know. But, I met a girl…" Chad told Clark confidentially. "Shelly, in medical records. "

"Oh." Clark nodded politely and went through the doors into the examination room. Chad moved ahead of him and walked to the wall of drawers. Muttering to himself, Chad opened one of the heavy drawers and then another, until he reached Lionel's.

"Damn!" Chad exclaimed. "They used the high security drawer." He pointed to the padlock. "I'll have to get the key. Mind waiting here?"

"No." Clark shook his head. "I can wait." When Chad left, Clark walked over to the drawer and flicked the lock open with one finger. He carefully pulled the drawer open and then unzipped the burgundy body bag. Somehow, Clark expected to not find Lionel there. But there he was, pale as chalk, his mane of hair flattened around his angular face. Clark unzipped the whole bag, and quickly scanned Lionel for anything unusual. There were no broken bones, all of the organs seemed to be where they should be and not at all damaged. Scanning up to the brain, Clark looked for anything resembling a blood clot, but again, everything there was as it should be. Quickly, Clark zipped up the bag and closed the drawer, pushing the lock together until it snapped back in place, just as Chad returned with the key.

"Okay, here we go..." Chad put the key in the lock and it popped open, while Clark stood there watching. "And there he is." Chad unzipped the bag. "Did you want a picture for the paper or something?"

"No." Clark scowled slightly at the idea. "Looking for any sign of why he might have died."

"Oh…" Chad nodded wisely. "Well, Shelly hasn't picked up the charts yet, but I printed out the last labs from the ER, so Dr. Maxwell would have them for the autopsy." He zipped the body bag shut and closed the drawer. "Come on. I'll give you copies. Strictly on the QT and only as a favor to Chloe."

"Thanks, Chad, I really appreciate that." Clark smiled, as Lionel's drawer slid shut and Chad snapped the lock tight. Ten minutes later, Clark was on his way back to the Ledger offices with the lab reports and a copy of whatever information he could get from the hospital chart. It was time to do some homework.

LIONEL LUTHOR, 58, FOUND DEAD IN LOWELL COUNTY MANSION – by Staff Writer 

The day of Lionel's funeral was bright and sunny, a perfect summer afternoon. Clark stood alongside Martha and Chloe. Oliver and Perry were right behind the women, both silent in dark suits as Lionel's impressive black casket was placed into the brown stone Luthor family crypt. Lex Luthor was impassive, his face pale and his eyes cold as the casket slid into place. He had chosen not to speak at the funeral, allowing the Chairman of the Board give Lionel's eulogy. Callista stood beside Lex, a wan figure in unrelieved elegant grey, already at home in the Luthor world. Lucas Luthor had come from Edge City, looking seedy and run down, his suit looking ashy and worn. The girl with him was a completely unnatural red head whose ample chest threatened to be freed from the neckline of her skin-tight black dress. She chewed gum loudly and yawned while the minister had spoken over Lionel's casket. Lex had barely spared a word to his prodigal half brother, instead spending his attention on Martha Kent. The Senator was perfectly composed, no trace of emotion crossed her pretty face. Instead, she eyed him curiously across the grass, as if she knew something about the reason why they were here.

Soon enough, the funeral was over, and the house opened for the mourners, and they milled around respectfully, speaking of Lionel at his best, his charitable endeavors, the charming Lionel Luthor who graced dinner parties and opera benefits with his cultivated wit and open checkbook. Lex stood by the fireplace in the study, speaking to guests.

"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor." A slender man about his father's age shook Lex's hand. "I'm Charles Whitcomb. Your father's personal attorney."

"Personal attorney?" Lex repeated, surprised. "I'm sorry, eh, Mr. Whitcomb, you have me at a disadvantage. I didn't know my father had a personal attorney."

"I expected not. Your father and I knew each other in college and he was my first client. If you don't mind, I have his will here and since it seems everyone involved is here, it will only take a minute to go over everything."

"His will?" Lex asked, and Lucas, as if summoned by the hint of his possible inheritance, appeared at Lex's side.

"Yeah, Lex, let's hear what four-eyes here has to say." Lucas said, overly jocular.

Lex nodded and gestured to a uniformed servant. "Please go with this gentleman to the dining room, and collect all the people he has on his list. Bring them all there, and I'll get there when I can."

Twenty minutes later, Clark and Lori, Martha, Chloe, Oliver, Lana, Lucas and his girlfriend were gathered in the dining room with the lawyer, waiting for Lex. Lex arrived alone, and took the seat at the head of the table.

"Well, since we're all here, I'd like to get started. I have to get home to Granville tonight." Mr. Whitcomb said, after clearing his throat. "It's simple enough. About a month ago, Lionel contacted me to make some changes to his will. I was surprised at that, because he'd been in excellent health. But, being an old friend, I obliged him. I'll skip all the legalese and get straight to the business. First, Lionel left both Ms. Sullivan and Ms. Lang $25,000.00 toward their educations. He felt that knowing the girls as long as he had entitled him to encourage them toward their futures." Mr. Whitcomb looked over at Chloe and Lana. "The appropriate taxes will be paid by Mr. Luthor's estate." He sipped some water. "Now, Mr. Kent. Lionel gave me this to hold on to earlier this year." Mr. Whitcomb produced a key and handed it to Clark. "The contents of that vault belong to you. I have no idea what they are or what their value is. Additionally, Lionel bequeathed you $50,000.00 toward your education and has forgiven the note on your parent's farm." The attorney looked at Martha Kent. "You own your farm free and clear now, Senator. Lionel purchased and held your mortgage some years ago from the Smallville Bank. They continued to service the loan for him. My office will send you the appropriate paperwork." Martha nodded.

"What about us?" Lucas asked, yawning. "I have a drive to get back to Edge City myself."

Mr. Whitcomb stared at Lucas silently. "I'm getting there. Be patient, young man. Now, the issue of several thousand shares of Luthorcorp stock. This is where Lionel's request concerned me, but I am complying with his wishes. Mr. Queen, you are the beneficiary of this particular legacy. And, I believe it gives you controlling interest in Luthorcorp." Lex and Lucas both gasped, and Mr. Whitcomb handed Oliver an envelope, and a white chess piece. "These also belong to you. Oh, Mr. Kent, these are for you. He said you gentlemen would understand what they meant and that the contents of those envelopes were for your eyes only." He gave Clark a similar envelope and a white chess piece.

"This is outrageous." Lex said, his voice controlled despite the fuming rage that poured from him. "My father would have never left controlling interest in Luthorcorp to Mr. Queen."

"But he did." Mr. Whitcomb said simply. "The proceeds of the shares are to fund the Literacy programs they were working on together, since Mr. Queen is quite wealthy on his own. Additionally, they give Mr. Queen voting power on the board of directors, which was something your father felt Mr. Queen deserved."

Oliver smiled at Chloe and sat back, placing the white chess piece on the table. He pierced Lex with an amused glare and winked. "Checkmate, Lex." He slipped the envelope into the inside pocket of his jacket and Clark did the same, holding the chess piece in his hand. It was a knight, and Clark thought back to the conversation he'd last had with Lionel. Chess. The game was just beginning. Clark looked up at Lex in shock. The awareness was chilling. Lionel had somehow suspected that Lex would be the one to kill him and in one fell swoop, Lionel had checkmated him and with Clark and Oliver's help, planned to keep Lex that way for a long time. Clark closed his hand around the chess piece. _Thank you, Lionel._

"What about the money?" Lucas' girlfriend whined. "Honneee…" Lucas hissed at her to be quiet, but not before Lori, Lana and Chloe giggled quietly at the girls scandalized expression.

"Lucas Luthor, I have the unfortunate duty to inform you that your father felt he'd shelled out ample funds bailing you out of several misadventures these last few years. You have been left an annuity of $10,000.00 per year, tax free. This money will be accessible to you once you have obtained and held a job for a year, and will be revoked when you lose that job. Additionally, it cannot be touched for legal fees of any kind, including bail. If you are arrested and convicted of any crime, you will lose the annuity. Do I make myself clear, young man?" Whitcomb looked at Lucas over his glasses.

"Crystal, man." Lucas said, grimacing. The red head looked at Lucas mutely, pulling at his jacket but he shook her off brutally and scowled. "Shut up, Candy. We're leaving soon."

"And now, Alexander Joseph Luthor. Before this will, you were very nearly the sole beneficiary of your father's estate. But even with these bequests, there is still a sizable estate left. However, your share of it is nothing." Mr. Whitcomb handed Lex a copy of the will. "You will receive what is left of your mother's estate, which is sizable, but the rest of Lionel's money will be put into trust, the Lionel Luthor Trust. It was your father's wish that children from impoverished neighborhoods were given the opportunities he did not have."

"You are talking billions of dollars." Lex looked up from the will incredulously. "Billions of dollars, real estate and other holdings. And he left it to a trust?"

"Yes, he did. Irrevocably, too, I'm afraid. You are still CEO of Luthorcorp. This house is yours. The penthouse in Metropolis, the yacht, and house in Aspen all belong to you. You are young, and your mother's money will be more than enough to help you build another fortune. But you recognize your father's signature, and that completes our business."

Mr. Whitcomb closed his briefcase and stood. "I'll be going now. One by one, everyone left, and Lex sat alone in the dining room of the Luthor mansion, holding the blue backed copy of his father's will. _Checkmate, Son._


	18. Episode VS 18 Decision

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 18 – **Decision**

**_"Sweet are the uses of adversity,_**

**_Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,_**

**_Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;_**

**_And this our life, exempt from public haunt,_**

**_Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks,_**

**_Sermons in stones, and good in everything._**

**_I would not change it."_**

**_William Shakespeare_**

"_Clark –_

_I am not a man who is used to being without the proper words to express himself. And lately I find myself needing to make certain that my affairs are in order. No man is immortal, Clark, no matter how much we'd like to believe we are. I have always envied the Kents having you, and I often wondered what would have become of everyone if I had looked just a little further into that cornfield the day of the first meteor shower. Of course, it has all been as it should be. I am proud to have played a small part in helping you become the man you are today, even if was not always under the best of circumstances._

_Instead of having you put into my care, I have instead been entrusted with certain objects that are rightfully yours. The key is for my vault in the Cayman Islands. The items are there, waiting for you to claim them. Only you will understand what they mean. _

_Of all the enemies you may have in your lifetime, my son is the most dangerous to you, Clark. A Luthor never gives up, he's learned at least that much from me. Lex knows your secret, and he knows your weaknesses. Whether Lex has tied it all together yet, only he knows. It will only be a matter of time when he does..."_

Clark looked up from Lionel's letter. The key to Lionel's secret vault was in Clark's pocket, and Clark was on Oliver's private jet. Oliver and Chloe had come too, eager to take a breather from the harsh reality of Oliver's life in Seattle. Lori had insisted on going as well, suggesting that even five minutes in the ocean might be just what she needed to be as good as new. Looking at her, Clark was afraid that it would take more than five minutes to restore his beautiful girl to full health. She sat across from him, fast asleep, her skin so white that it was nearly translucent. I can't lose her now, Clark thought.

"Hey…" Chloe leaned over, her face full of concern. "How is she doing?"

"Not good, Chloe." Clark shook his head. "I'm afraid for her, Chloe. I feel like we've only just found each other. I love Lori, Chloe. I can't let this happen to her."

Chloe nodded slowly. "What are you going to do? You said Jor-El told you that you'd have to choose."

"She can't survive in our world, Chloe. But I can survive in hers." Clark said and Chloe frowned, sliding into the seat beside Lori, across from Clark.

"You can't be serious, Clark. Live in Atlantis? What about your mother? What about your life? Clark…" Chloe asked urgently, her voice barely a shocked whisper. "You'll be completely out of place there."

"How is it any different than you going to Seattle?" Clark asked, and Chloe bit her lip, concern evident on her face. "You're thinking of giving up everything."

"No, Clark." Chloe shook her head. "I'm moving to a different time zone, a new city. I'm not leaving the known world. And I'm not giving up everything. It's not the same at all."

"All you've ever wanted was the Daily Planet." Clark shot back, and Chloe shook her head, frowning.

"But I can be a reporter for The Seattle Times, Clark. It's no different. What are you going to do in Atlantis?"

"Nothing. He will be nothing in Atlantis." Lori said, her eyes closed. Her voice was soft and Clark and Chloe turned to listen to her, their argument forgotten. "Clark will not come with me when I return to Atlantis."

"Why?" Clark asked, his heart breaking.

"Love, there is too much at risk. And I cannot let you die. What is happening to me now is my choice. You have a destiny, a purpose here. You cannot forsake it." Chloe looked over at Clark wordlessly, and sighed. Lori opened her aquamarine eyes and smiled at Clark. "We've fooled ourselves long enough, don't you think?"

"This is where I make my exit." Chloe said sadly. "I'll be right over there." She got up and walked over to Oliver, hugging him briefly before sitting down in one of the light brown leather seats on that side of the plane and opening her laptop again.

"You can't give up your destiny for me, Clark." Lori said, her voice stronger, more insistent. "I will not allow it."

"Lori, we've been over this so many times." Clark replied, and Lori looked away as if tired of the discussion. "We can find a way to be together that doesn't include one of us dying."

"I read that the clouds are made of water. Is that true?" Lori asked absently, and Clark moved across the seats to sit beside her.

"Yes, water vapor." Clark nodded, gathering her into his arms. "Why?"

"Can a bird love a fish?" Lori turned to look at Clark, her eyes pale glowing blue. "My father asked me that, Clark. He asked me where they would make their home. I couldn't answer, but maybe they could, in the clouds."

"Lori." Clark dropped his face into her red-gold hair. "We'll find a way. I promise." She silently nodded in reply, looking out the window at the huge, overblown white clouds.

Lois looked at the autopsy report and then back at Perry. "No toxins. Nothing in Lionel's bloodstream that was suspicious?" They were in the editor's office at the Smallville Ledger, and Lois studied the report again as Perry sat back down at his desk.

"Just the gallon of booze." Perry shook his head. "Lex says his father was drinking that day. I guess he hit his limit."

"I've been to a lot of social functions with Lionel this past year." Lois said, shaking her head. "He's never had more than one drink, maybe two. Something smells here, and it's not the Luthorcorp plant upwind."

"I'm listening." Perry said, gesturing to the seat opposite him, but Lois ignored him, instead pacing the floor in front of the desk while she thought. "What's the story, Lois?" She paced back and forth, thinking.

"Why would someone kill Lionel?" Lois finally asked, pausing in her tracks. "He'd been on the good guy road for a while."

"Why wouldn't anyone want to kill Lionel? I have reasons of my own." Perry told her matter of factly. "Old enemies aren't impressed with the kind of life choices Lionel was making. It's usually considered a sign of weakness. But, whoever did this managed to make Lionel a martyr. Philanthropist killed on eve of brilliant contribution to society, and then in death, an even bigger hero. And usually, making a martyr of the victim is not what a murderer has in mind. IF it was murder. Smallville Sheriff is still investigating. The Lowell County coroner says alcohol poisoning, and that's our headline."

Lois folded her arms resolutely. "I'm going to talk to Martha about this."

"You're toying with me now." Perry leaned forward in anticipation. "Why would Martha have any insight here?"

"She knew Lionel better than anybody other than his son. Maybe he confided in her. She's here in town on personal business." Lois said, snapping her finger as she swung around toward the door. "By the way, my piece on the School Board elections is ready. I'll drop it off on my way out."

"That's my girl." Perry nodded, grinning. "Tell Martha I said hi."

Lex had found the law office of Whitcomb, Trevor and Dunn in the pretty business district of Granville easily, and slid his car into a spot near the doors. He walked into the office and was immediately impressed by the quiet elegance of the place, from the very refined façade out front to the well heel interior. It was everything a private attorneys office should be. The receptionist, a pretty young blonde, smiled at him in welcome.

"May I help you?" She asked, her eyes sparkling up at him innocently. Lex smiled back at her charitably, resting his hands on the reception desk before him lightly.

"Yes, I'd like to see Mr. Whitcomb, if he's available. My name is Lex Luthor." Lex said, in his most charming voice, and the girl's smile widened for a moment, and then faded.

"Oh. I'm so sorry about your father, Mr. Luthor. He was a favorite around here." The receptionist said. "I'll call Mr. Whitcomb and tell him you're here." She buzzed in and spoke quietly to someone, and then looked up at him again. "Someone will be out for you in a moment, Mr. Luthor."

"Thank you." Lex nodded, and turned to look around the reception area. Photos lined the walls, it didn't take long for Lex to find his father and Mr. Whitcomb in several pictures, some from years and years ago. And the attorney did look familiar, but Lex could not put his finger on why. He had made his way to the next set of framed pictures when Mr. Whitcomb appeared.

"Well, Mr. Luthor, this is a surprise." He said, his voice all business. The older man's appearance was as polished and elegant as his surroundings. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I had some questions about my father's estate." Lex said, and Mr. Whitcomb nodded, leading Lex back to his office. "First and foremost, how is it again that you came to be my father's private attorney?"

"I've handled your father's personal business since I graduated from law school. Originally, he wanted me to head Luthorcorps legal department, but I'm not a corporate lawyer. I pointed him in the direction of some really great people, though and continued to take care of issues that needed more delicate handling." Mr. Whitcomb began, sitting behind his desk as Lex took a seat in the blue brocade Queen Anne chairs before it. "We've even met, more than once, Mr. Luthor. I arranged for you to remain at Excelsior after some of your more, ehm, colorful incidents."

Lex studied the older man for a moment and realization dawned on him. "Of course. Mitchell Whitcomb, Dad's pet shark. Mother once said that you were one of Dad's slum buddies."

Mr. Whitcomb smiled tolerantly and took off his glasses to polish them with a fresh, crisply pressed white handkerchief. "It's true I grew up in Suicide Slums, Mr. Luthor, but your father and I weren't in the same circles until we were in college. And even then, only under certain circumstances. I had to defend him before the school ethics committee. All scholarship pre law students had to serve time as student defenders and prosecutors – I imagine preparing us for careers with the Metropolis Attorney General's office. I successfully kept your father in school, and he never forgot. When I passed the bar exam, Lionel, who had graduated before me, showed up at my apartment with some sensitive legal matters he needed advice on. And that's it. From that point on, I handled issues that he wanted kept private. I will not tell you anymore than that. Attorney – client privilege, in your father's case, will extend into his death." Mr. Whitcomb looked at Lex over the desk. "Was that all?"

"For a start." Lex sat back in the brocade chair. "If I wanted to hire you in the same capacity…."

"I regret I couldn't take you on. I'm getting ready to retire. But," Mr. Whitcomb replied smoothly. He pressed a button on his phone. "Faith, would you ask Ms. Trevor to come in here, please." He pressed the button again, disengaging the intercom. "Ms. Trevor has just become a partner here, and I think she'll be able to take you on."

Lex nodded, and in a moment, a petite woman entered the room. If nondescript had a picture in the dictionary to illustrate it's definition, it was this woman, Lex thought, taking advantage of her approach to study her calmy. Dishwater blonde, in a sensible grey suit, nothing about her was remarkable at first glance. Then, she pierced Lex with studious eye that belied her unexceptional attire and unassuming air, assessing him just as cooly as he was appraising her. Oddly enough, she seemed very familiar, approximately his age, and Lex wondered idly if she had gone to Excelsiors sister school before college.

"Lauren Trevor." She said, extending a hand to him. "You are Lex Luthor, correct?"

"Correct." Lex rose to shake her hand. Her pottery blue gaze did not falter, and Lex felt very much like he was undergoing a CAT scan. "I was hoping Mr. Whitcomb would handle my personal business, as he has my fathers. He's assured me that you are up for the challenge."

"I might be." Lauren Trevor replied, her demeanor still frosty. "Why don't you come to my office and tell me what exactly you have in mind."

Lex stood, and nodded goodbye to Mr. Whitcomb. "Oh, there was one other thing. The vault key. Dad's vault at Luthorcorp is empty and any other hiding place he had also is in a similar state. The key you gave Clark Kent...?"

"Falls under attorney - client privilege, Mr. Luthor." Mr. Whitcomb templed his fingers under his chin. "I was able to disclose that information to Clark Kent - and only Clark Kent - at your father's request. You;ll find, Mr. Luthor, that our firm values the privacy of our clients very, very highly."

"I'm looking forward to that." Lex said, and with a quick nod, left the office behind Ms. Trevor. If my instincts are right, Lex thought, taking in the figure of the woman before him, mentally tailoring her suit properly, this could be the start of something very important.

Lana held the offer in her hands, and looked up at Martha in shock. "But Mrs. Kent, you can't do this. The farm is just finally free and clear. You'd have to get a whole new mortgage to pay for the Talon. I can't let you do that." Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely read the numbers, but Lana knew that this offer was exactly the one she had been waiting for. It _felt _right.

"I'm going to need something to fall back on when I retire from political life." Martha smiled, sipping her tea. "Someday the farm will be Clark's, and I'll need a place of my own." Martha looked around. "I've had some very happy memories attached to this place."

"I can't believe it." Lana gasped. "Are you sure?" She set the offer back down on the table reluctantly, almost afraid that it would vanish if her hands lost contact with the paper.

"I'm sure. It's the right thing for me to do." Martha reached across the table and took Lana's hand. "And it will give you a place to come back to."

Lana smiled brightly, throwing her arms around Martha. "I don't know what to say, Mrs. Kent. If you're sure you want to do this, then I'm all for it. I accept your offer."

Martha laughed and hugged the girl back. "You're welcome. I couldn't see the Talon being sold to strangers." The chimes on the door rang as Lois strode in, her eyes scanning the mid afternoon crowd for her former employer. Martha raised her hand. "Lois, here we are!"

Lois nodded, walked to the table and slid into the empty third seat at the small table. 'Hi." Lois said, picking up a lemon square from the plate in front of Lana and Martha. "Can you excuse us a minute, Lana?"

"Sure." Lana rose, taking the bid documents. "I'll go call Henry." She grinned at her friends and walked away quickly, her dark hair flowing like an ebony satin flag behind her.

"This is nice, Lois." Martha said, picking up her tea again. "I've missed having you areound the office. "

"Mrs. Kent, I'm here on official business. " Lois began, her face set in thoughtful lines. "I never wanted to know what your relationship with Lionel really was. I mean, I didn't actually care as long as it didn't affect your reputation in the State Capitol. But with the cause of Lionel's death looking like it's alcohol poisoning, I wanted to talk to you."

"Lois." Martha set her cup down, her eyes wide with shock. "Alcohol poisoning? That does sound odd."

"I know." Lois nodded. "I wanted to ask you if you'd talked to him at all that week before he died. Did he give you any clues at all about anything?"

Martha shook her head. "No. Not a word."

Lois looked down at the lemon square in her hand and put it back on the plate. "Okay. If you think of anything, let me know. I'm going out to Lex's."

Clark stood in the vault and stared. Around him, were books and books of Lionel's scribblings, but more importantly, crystals, much like the ones that had melded together to create the Fortress lie in sparkling majesty on black velvet covered trays. The colors were endless, and they hummed as he walked through the vault, spilling crystalline shivers through the air. He reached out and picked up a deep blue crystal that continued to hum in his hand. It was clear that Lionel had searched the world for these crystals, long after Clark and Lex had both given up, believing there had been only three. Lionel had accumulated hundreds, possibly even thousands of them.

_"The Historian was successful in his quest. You mourn him, Kal-El, but he understood that his time was at hand. You must complete the construction of the Archive, my son. The collected knowledge and wisdom from across the galaxy is here, in these crystals."_ The crystals shifted on their black velvet beds and the hologram of Jor-El appeared. _"It is time for you to begin your long neglected education."_

"Lori is dying." Clark said, setting the blue crystal down. It hummed and burst into light. "I have to find a way to save her."

_"Saving her is possible, my son, but you must be willing to do whatever it takes. The time for the wants and wishes of a little boy are over. To save her, you must accept your destiny, or all is lost."_ Jor-El said sadly.

_"_All is lost? What difference does it all make if I have to lose her? One way or another. Either she dies, or I have to live without her." Clark picked up a green crystal and stared into it.

"_This is no game, Kal-El. There are no winners. There is duty and destiny. The rewards for such a choice come in time, and they are hard won into the bargain. But you must accept them."_ Jor-El nodded. "_Ignore it, and the effect over time will be the same as if Zod had never been returned to the Phantom Zone. His creature still walks your planet."_

_"_Lex." Clark looked up at the hologram. "What will he do?"

_"What will he NOT do, my son, if you are not there to stop him. Lorelai is not meant to walk on your Earth. She is destined to rule over the creatures of the deep given to her care. Lex Luthor will grasp for power until he has taken a stranglehold on your world and choked the life from it forever." _Jor-El said, his voice growing urgent as the hologram faded away. _"You will never see the twin moons of Krypton glow in the deep green night sky. That was not your destiny. Protecting THIS world is. It is time for you to decide, once and for all..."_

_**"It is time for us all to decide who we are...**_

_**Do we fight for the right to a night at the opera now?**_

_**Do you ask of yourselves what's the price you must pay?**_

_**Or is this simply a game for young boys to play?**_

_**The color of the world is changing, day by day..."**_

_**"Red and Black", **From the musical, **Les Miserables**_

****

Clark made his way to the hotel where Oliver had made reservations for all of them, deep in thought, the lush surroundings leaving no impression on him at all. There were too many things to consider, too much at stake in either decision to simply choose or flip a coin over. He walked through the lobby of the hotel, and out onto the private beach. Oliver and Chloe were sitting in lounge chairs, deep in conversation, and Lori was asleep in hers, ghostly pale and her breathing ragged. The sun was nearly ready to go down, and Clark felt the vault key in his pocket. Looking up at the sliver of moon that hung in the eastern sky, Clark thought of Jor-El's words, the moons of Krypton he'd never see, and giving his exile here purpose. Sinking to the sand beside Lori's chair, Clark kissed her gently and watched her eyes blink open, rejoicing in the smile that brightened them. He could not be parted from her. It was as simple as that. But it wasn't truly that simple, and Clark knew it. The problem with having to choose was that Clark could never be sure he was choosing the right thing.

"Hi." Lori breathed, placing a long, thin hand along Clark's cheek. "And?"

"You tell me." Clark replied, kissing her again. "Tell me with your mind, what you see."

Lori closed her eyes, and shook her head. "I won't read you, Clark."

"Look at me." Clark said, lowering his voice rather than raising it. "You KNOW what my future is. You've seen it from the beginning, haven't you?."

A tear tracked down Lori's cheek. "Yes, beloved, I have."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Clark asked sadly, and Lori pushed herself upright, to face him.

"Because if I told you what choice you made, it takes the value of the choice and lays waste to it. Because you already know, in your heart what you must do. You just lack the incentive." Lori stood, and looked out at the waves. "As I know that these last few hours are the last I will spend on land."

Clark rose, and pulled her into his arms. "Tonight? Now?"

"Yes. I can delay no longer." Lori looked up at him. "If I do not go back before sunrise, I will not be able to go back at all, because I will die."

"Then that's what we have to do." Clark nodded. "We go to Atlantis tonight."

Lori sighed, and Clark looked over at Chloe and Oliver. They had both turned to look at Clark, and Chloe shook her head, biting her lip. Clark felt her disapproval, but he had to be sure he was doing the right thing, without announcing his decision to the world first. Clark reached into his pocket, and pulled out the vault key. He looked at it, shining in his hand and held it out to Chloe. She folded her hands in her lap and looked up at Clark as if trying to discourage him.

"Chloe, you and Oliver go back to the bank and clear out this vault. Take everything. Get it someplace safe, and hold on to it." Clark told her, and she nodded, looking over at Oliver sadly.

"You made your mind up, then?" Oliver asked, as he stood.

"I did. But I'll need your help." Clark held out a hand to Oliver. Oliver shook Clark's hand, and studied his friend's face. "Can you take care of the crystals for me?"

"If you mean lock 'em up tight so Lex can't get to them, yeah." Oliver nodded. "For as long as you need me to."

"Okay. I'm taking Lori back to Atlantis tonight." Clark said, and he looked down at Chloe. Chloe shook her head, overcome, looking away from Clark with a turn of her head that broke his heart. Never before had Chloe truly seemed this upset with him that Clark could recall. She stood, snatching the key from his hand.

"I can't tell you how ashamed I am of you right now." Chloe looked over at Lori. "No offense, Lori."

"None taken. I'm feeling the same way myself." Lori replied quickly, her face as full of concern and reproach as Chloe's. "Clark, what can you be thinking?"

"That whatever visions you've had, and no matter what Jor-El expects to happen, I still have control over my destiny.. I have to do what my conscience tells me, and right now, it's telling me to take you home. I'm asking you all to trust me. "

"Of course we will." Oliver interjected, as Lori and Chloe began to argue with Clark again. "Chloe and I will go clear the vault out in the morning. We'll wait as long as we can for you."

Clark nodded gratefully. "Oliver, you've been a good friend. Thank you." Clark looked down at Chloe. "Chloe."

She blinked and shook her head. "Be careful. That's all. Be careful."

"I will." Clark kissed her cheek softly. "Thanks for always being there for me, Chloe. I know it's not always easy."

"It's not." Chloe laughed, as she hugged him fiercely and then turned to Lori. "Goodbye, Lori."

"Goodbye, my friend." Lori smiled, hugging Chloe. "Of all the humans I have met, you and your cousin are the most like my kind. Maybe you are part Atlantean." The girls laughed, and Chloe grinned. Lori turned to Oliver. "It was an auspicious day when I saved you from drowning, Oliver Queen. And your debt to me is paid a thousand times over." She embraced him, kissing his cheek softly. "Thank you."

"Go." Oliver hugged her quickly and then released his hold. "Don't waste any more time." He put an arm around Chloe's shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "We'll see you when you get back."

"Ready?" Clark asked, and Lori smiled, putting her hand in his.

"Yes." Lori sighed. "Ready to go home."

Lois stood outside the gates of the Luthor Mansion and stared up at the vine covered façade. She reached out and clenched the cast iron bars of the gates, shaking them just a little, ignoring the glare of the security guard. Lois could see the gaunt form of Lex's latest girlfriend, the sullen bass player from that band Syren in one of the windows on the upper floor. Lois barely recognized her anymore – Callista had lost that tough, edgy look these last few weeks. Like Lori, Callista also seemed stretched to almost invisibility, and Lois found herself wondering what caused that to happen to someone. She was here about Lex, though, and not seeing the silver car in the driveway, Lois debated with herself for a moment, wondering if somehow she could get in and talk to Lex's girlfriend about Lionel. Looking up at the window again, Lois saw Callista studying her intently. Callista's face was set in stern lines, and Lois felt cold, in spite of the brilliantly sunny Kansas summer afternoon.

:Go away: Lois heard a voice say, and she turned around to look around her. She was alone, just as she had been the whole time. But the voice was clear and Lois knew that she wasn't one to imagine things. _:You are not involved in this."_

Lois heard a voice say, and she turned around to look around her. She was alone, just as she had been the whole time. But the voice was clear and Lois knew that she wasn't one to imagine things. 

Lois looked up at the window again, shock sweeping her normally expressive features blank, and she saw Callista nod, then pull the curtains closed with an air of finality that made Lois spine tingle. As if in a fog, Lois turned away from the gates, walking back to her car, unable to collect her thoughts. Cries of grief assaulted her mind, and Lois regained control of herself, blinking back a wave of nausea. She marched up to the gate and picked up the handset that went right to the security booth on the other side.

"Hey! I want to speak to Lex's girlfriend." Lois said into the phone, and the guard came out of the booth, eyeing Lois in that way that always made her want to scream. It was dismissive and lustful all at the same time, and Lois cursed the genetic code that had given both she and Chloe the all the 'right' curves.

"You don't even know her name, and you think I'm going to let you in?" The guard bawled, and Lois watched his eyes travel over her body. Controlling the urge to reach in the fence and punch his face in, Lois licked her lips and smiled.

"Of course I know her name, it's Callista" Lois looked up at the window again, and Callista was there, nodding. "Look, there she is." The guard turned toward the window and waved. Callista nodded solemnly, and Lois smiled as the gates swung open. In no time, Lois was at the front door of the house, waiting to be allowed in. It opened slowly, and Perry calling the Luthor mansion a 'haunted house' came painfully to mind. Before Lois could cross the threshold, tires crunched the gravel of the driveway behind her. Lex.

"Want to tell me what you're doing here, Lois?" Lex said, walking around the front of his car, his stride strong and purposeful. Lois muttered her favorite curse under her breath.

"I was invited. By your girlfriend. I wanted to talk to her about her music. I was a really big fan of her band." Lois lied, and Lex's grey eyes glinted with amusement.

"Really? Because Callista hasn't played a note of music since she's been here. I'll have her send you an autographed CD or something, but she's not up for visitors."

Lex dismissed Lois and walked past her and into the house.

"How much brandy did you say your father drank the day he died, Lex?" Lois called after him. He looked back at her, and walked back to the door. Lois took a step back, and raised her chin. "The toxicology reports are back."

"And you got your hands on confidential medical files, Lois? I'm shocked." Lex countered smoothly in a tone that was anything but surprised.

"They aren't confidential, they are public record in connection with an investigation into the suspicious death of an infamous figure." Lois snapped back, folding her arms over her chest. Lex never looked at her in that dazed way most men did, but Lois could count on one hand the men, other than her father or Uncle Gabe that didn't. Clark, Jonathan Kent, Perry White, Lionel and Lex Luthor. And honestly, Lois was never sure how to deal with that.

Lex smiled and it barely curved the corner of his mouth. "And how was Callista going to help you get that story?"

"I told you, I was here to talk to her about her music. But since you're here, I figure why not kill two birds with one stone?" Lois said charmingly and Lex nodded.

"I don't know what happened, Lois. I have no reason to block any investigation into my father's death." Lex's words were matter of fact. "I'd like to know what caused his death."

"Oh?" Lois raised an eyebrow. "Then why not give the interview, and let the world know how you feel?"

Lex seemed to ponder this for a moment. "You're right, Lois. Come in."

"Great. Now, see? Was that so hard?" Lois replied, walking past Lex into the house. The door swung shut behind her with a definite and heavy thud in its frame, and with a tiny _snap!_, the whole house erupted into flames, the explosion sending the glass from the imported windows flying. The security guard, having only gone back to his magazine, turned in horror, his hands shaking as he dialed 911.

Once underwater, Lori seemed reborn, and was surrounded by a phosphorescent glow that brightened as they moved further and further from shore. Clark smiled to see her back to herself, and they sped toward Posidonis together. He had lost all track of time and distance, and was surprised to see a glowing domed city below them in a deep chasm. Lori smiled and pointed, her glow growing brighter as her happiness at being home increased. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and Clark saw her begin to sink, holding her head as if in tremendous pain.

:What is it: Clark asked, swimming to Lori and catching her easily before she collapsed in a heap on the jagged rocks that edged the chasm.

:Goddess preserve us all…Callista….she has killed Lex Luthor to protect Atlantis….: Lori looked up at Clark in horror. :_His house is in flames. It cannot be borne! And woe! Lois was there too, Clark: _

:I have to go…: Clark turned, looking up toward the surface, trying to calculate how fast he could get to Smallville, and then, over her shoulder, he saw a small group of merfolk coming out to meet them, Ronal, Morgaine and Rowan's brother leading the group. Clark waved to them, and then, with a shiver of alarm, realized that Ronal had brought soldiers with him.

Lori looked up at Clark in horror. :Clark turned, looking up toward the surface, trying to calculate how fast he could get to Smallville, and then, over her shoulder, he saw a small group of merfolk coming out to meet them, Ronal, Morgaine and Rowan's brother leading the group. Clark waved to them, and then, with a shiver of alarm, realized that Ronal had brought soldiers with him. 

:HALT, Otherworlder: One of them cried, and Lori looked up at Clark in panic. _:You are trespassing on Atlantean territory: _

:Wait: Lori straightened and sailed into the space between Clark and Ronal, her arms outstretched. _:He is with me, ensuring my safe return to my homeworld.: _Ronal paused, and then a smile lit up his handsome face_. _

"Lorelai! Gift of the Goddess! You've returned! Where is Callista? When she did not return we feared the worst: Ronal exclaimed, reaching for Lori's hands. He looked into Lori's face. _:Where is Callista: _

:She is dead.: Lori replied quietly. The Sher'Hedeen warriors began to wail, and Ronal silenced them with a wave. :_Following the rest of her mission, I suppose.:_ Lori's voice was bitter, and Ronal shook his head, looking over at Clark. He seemed to be trying to read Clark, and then he turned to Lori again, shaking his head.

One of them cried, and Lori looked up at Clark in panic. Lori straightened and sailed into the space between Clark and Ronal, her arms outstretched. Ronal paused, and then a smile lit up his handsome face Ronal exclaimed, reaching for Lori's hands. He looked into Lori's face. Lori replied quietly. The Sher'Hedeen warriors began to wail, and Ronal silenced them with a wave. : Lori's voice was bitter, and Ronal shook his head, looking over at Clark. He seemed to be trying to read Clark, and then he turned to Lori again, shaking his head.

:Her only command was to retrieve you, Your Grace.: He waved to the Sher'Hedeen. _:Go. You will not be needed.: _They left, to prepare the mourning ceremony for Callista, speaking amongst themselves in the rough language of their people. Ronal released Lori, and bowed in Clark's direction. _:Otherworlder, words cannot express the gratitude of the Atlantean people at your assistance in the safe return of our beloved Princess. Come. Any reward you seek will be given to you.: _

He waved to the Sher'Hedeen. They left, to prepare the mourning ceremony for Callista, speaking amongst themselves in the rough language of their people. Ronal released Lori, and bowed in Clark's direction. 

:I ask for just a moment alone with Lori before I go.: Clark replied, bowing himself. _:To say goodbye.: _

"You have them.: Ronal released Lori's hands, and glided away. :_I'll return shortly to escort you back, Lorelai.: _

:I have to go. It's what I'm supposed to do, my path. I realize that now.: Clark took Lori in his arms and kissed her softly. _:But, I love you, Lori. I don't know how I'm going to be without you.: _

:I don't know either, Clark. But I'm so proud of you.: Lori wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed Clark back passionatelyShe broke the kiss and pushed him away. :_Go and save your friends. And realize that you are already doing what you are destined to do, my love. None could have changed that path for you. It is a part of you that no one can take away.:_

Clark replied, bowing himself. Ronal released Lori's hands, and glided away. : Clark took Lori in his arms and kissed her softly. Lori wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed Clark back passionatelyShe broke the kiss and pushed him away. : 

Clark kissed her again, and then pushed himself through the water, away from Lori. He gained speed as the pressure diminished, until he exploded through the surface, flying toward Smallville as fast as he could. Lex's mansion appeared before him almost instantly. Clark could hear the wail of the fire department as they sped toward the blaze, and he knew he only had a few minutes to get in there and find Lex, Lois and Callista. Flying in through the window, Clark began to scan with his xray vision, until he found Callista slumped over a chair in her room. He broke through her door, scooped her up and placed her on the ground outside, going back in for the others. Lex and Lois were in the entryway. Lex was trapped under one of the heavy beams from the ceiling, and Lois was several feet away, unconscious and bleeding. Clark went to Lex first, and once he was sure Lex was alive, Clark pulled the beam away and carried Lex to safety. Going back in for Lois, he felt a wave of nausea overtake him, forcing him to his knees. Through the smoke, Clark could see an overturned box that had been knocked over in the blast, glowing sickly green with Kryptonite. Blinking against the pain, Clark struggled to his feet, and limped toward Lois, trying to figure out how to get her to safety and not pass the Kryptonite. He lifted her, and pulling himself together, flew out of the house the way he had come in, feeling stronger the further away from the Kryptonite he got. He set Lois down gently near Lex, as the sirens and flashing lights of the Smallville Fire Department got closer. Clark went back to Callista, scooped her up again, and flew away just as the fire department arrived on the scene.

"You all right, miss?" An EMT knelt beside Lois as she came to, sitting up. "You shouldn't try to get up."

"What the hell happened?" Lois asked, coughing from the smoke she'd inhaled. "One minute I was standing there, and then ka-blam! Where's Lex?"

"Mr. Luthor is over there," The EMT said, pointing to where Lex was being worked on by two other paramedics. "You saved his life, I'd say. You dragged him out of there before you passed out, I'd guess."

Lois shook her head. "No, it was one of you guys, only he flew me out of there." She frowned. "Or pulled me out on a cherry picker or something, because it sure felt like we were flying."

The EMT laughed. "Well, my mom says I'm a hero, but only Warrior Angel can fly." Lois squinted at him, and he laughed harder. "You were here on the ground when we got here. It's you that's the hero, miss. Mr. Luthor owes you a lot."

"I'll settle for the stupid interview." Lois grunted, and then stood, holding her ribs. "I'm Lois."

"I'm Patrick." The EMT replied, smiling. Lois noticed that he wasn't looking at her boobs, and that he had really nice green eyes. "Let's get you over to the hospital to be checked out, Lois. It's good you can get up, but you really shouldn't." He pointed to the stretcher. "Your chariot, my lady."

"Nothing wrong with me that a hot bath won't cure." Lois replied, but she got on to the stretcher anyway and allowed herself to be transported to Smallville Medical Center, her ambulance behind Lex's. It wasn't until much later that she thought of Callista, but the pain killers had kicked in by then and her father was on the way, so Lois drifted off to sleep, thinking to herself how much easier visits with the General could be when unconscious.

Clark landed on the beach at Grand Cayman, and set Callista down on the sand. She was breathing, and opened her eyes to look up at him in wonder.

"You saved me. I was supposed to die in that fire." She said sadly. "Did you save Lex, too?"

"Of course I did." Clark replied. "Why, Callista?"

"I made a mistake when I asked Nuada Silverarm to save him, Clark. Lex is evil. There is no redeeming him anymore. I just wanted to stop him somehow, but he was too strong for me." Callista looked toward the waves. "I have to go home."

"I'll go with you." Clark said, and Callista shook her head.

"It's better I go alone." She smiled up at him, the first smile Clark had ever seen Callista make that didn't look threatening or vicious. "It's not everyday a Sher'Hedeen rises from the dead." Callista grinned, and ran off toward the ocean, diving into the waves and then vanished with a flick of a sharklike tail.

Clark fell to his knees, breathing deeply, and he stared out onto the moonlit ocean, waiting for Lori to come to him. She did not emerge from the waves, but Clark could feel her near him, and once he was sure he was alone, he dropped his head into his hands and wept. It was too much to bear alone, but Clark didn't know where else to go. So he stayed on the sand, as near to Lori as he could be, and before he fell asleep, spent from the exertion of all the flight and his own grief, Clark heard Lori's voice, soft and sad in his mind.

:My love….Goodbye…:

"Well, that's the last of them." Oliver said, looking around the Fortress as he set down the case he was carrying. "Were there any instructions in those drawings?"

Clark smiled. "I don't know. I hope so." He grinned wider. "Want to help me put them together?" It felt good to make the small joke after everything that happened, Clark thought, and he could tell that Oliver was glad he'd done so.

Oliver's laugh rang through the Fortress. "Sure. Because I'm all about alien technology." He looked over at Chloe, who was studying the console, randomly touching the upright tubes with a hesitant finger. "Planning to hack into that, Goldilocks?"

"I'm thinking about it." She winked, and Clark and Oliver both laughed. She grinned at Clark, and then her face fell. "Have you heard from Lori at all?"

"No." Clark replied, wiping his hands on his pants before opening one of the cases. "It's probably better for both of us that I don't, Chloe."

"I guess." Chloe rubbed his arm consolingly. "I'm so sorry, Clark."

Clark nodded, and then turned away from the case. "Let's get out of here. I'm going to be spending enough time here soon. Let's get some pizza or something before you all take off."

"About that." Oliver said, as Chloe grinned up at him. "Goldilocks and I were talking, and since everything seems to be under control in Seattle, and I have Luthorcorp Board of Directors duties to deal with, it looks like we're going to be here for a little longer."

"Really?" Clark asked, and Chloe nodded eagerly. "That's great."

"Dad's busy with his new job, and I have to finish my internship at least. Besides, with Lois working on the Smallville Ledger now, she's going to need a mentor." Chloe said, reaching for Clark's hand. "Mostly Oliver and I didn't want you to be alone right now. You get all broody and mopey."

"I do not." Clark snapped, and then laughed when Oliver and Chloe both shook their heads. "Okay, maybe I do. Are you sure you can do this?"

"I can fly back home if something comes up. It's only for a little while more." Oliver said. "Besides, I don't want to miss my calf growing up."

"Thanks, you guys." Clark squeezed Chloe's hand. "I appreciate you staying."

"That's what friends do." Chloe said, and Oliver nodded. "We're here for you."

Clark looked around the Fortress for the last time as they headed out to the cave entrance. There was one more friend he had to visit.

"Clark." Lex smiled. "Pity visit, or guilt?"

"Neither." Clark replied, setting the plate of cookies down on Lex's beside table. "Mom sent them. She said these are your favorites."

"Your mother is amazing." Lex pulled the plate closer to inspect the offering. "She never fails to remember. I hope you appreciate that, Clark."

"I do." Clark nodded. "I went out to the house. It's going to take forever to restore it."

Lex eyed him curiously, and then shrugged. "The house. I was planning to close it up anyway, move into the Luthorcorp Towers penthouse. Too many memories in the mansion and most of them are bad." He pulled open the plastic around the plate and took a cookie. "Your mother makes the best sugar cookies I've ever tasted."

"I'll tell her you said so." Clark nodded. "I'd better go." He turned to leave.

"Lana dropped by earlier. She told me that your girlfriend went home to, where was that? Wales?" Lex said, and Clark turned around.

"Yes." Clark answered, and Lex pushed the plate of cookies toward him.

"Have one. Everyone who has lost something this week can have one." Lex said, giving Clark a flash of the friend he used to be. Clark smiled sadly, and shook his head.

"Thanks, Lex, but I have to go get Lois and bring her home. General Lane had to fly to Washington D.C. last night. I just wanted to drop these off and see how you were."

Lex nodded. "Thanks, Clark. And thanks for getting me out of the house."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was saying goodbye to Lori when the explosion happened." Clark said, this time not lying exactly, but it seemed to satisfy Lex.

"Right, right." Lex nodded. "Well, thanks for stopping by, Clark."

"No problem, Lex. And good luck in Metropolis." Clark extended a hand. "It's been something knowing you."

"You too." Lex shook it, and then sighed. "That felt pretty final, didn't it?"

"It did." Clark agreed. "I'd better go."

"Goodbye, Clark." Lex said, as Clark walked out of the hospital room. Clark made his way toward Lois' room, and felt a wave of nostalgia. Lex moving, Lori gone, Chloe and Lana leaving. It was the end of the safe, familiar life he'd known in Smallville. Forever.


	19. Episode VS 19 Foundation FINALE

Smallville Virtual (TC) Season Episode 19 – **Foundation**

**Part One - Leaving Home**

"_I turn my back to the wind  
To catch my breath  
Before I start off again.  
Driven on without a moment to spend  
To pass an evening with a drink and a friend_

_I let my skin get too thin  
I'd like to pause  
No matter what I pretend  
Like some pilgrim  
Who learns to transcend  
Learns to live as if each step was the end…"_

"_**Time Stand Still" - **Rush_

Lex Luthor looked up at the fractured shell of his former mansion, trying to remember if he had ever really thought of it as home. He was alone, and the day was rainy and gray around him. The fire had been over two weeks ago, and Lex had recovered enough to personally inspect what was left. Whatever had been able to be salvaged had been, and the rest was just _gone_, Lex thought, as he kicked a nugget of grey stone from the destroyed facade. There would be no more fitting tribute to the memory of Lionel Luthor than the wreckage of this place, Lex thought, crunching a piece of the ancient stained glass under his heel. The police hadn't narrowed down what had caused the explosion and fire, but Lex was fairly sure they'd determine it was a loose wire, or a gas leak. It didn't matter. A new day was about to dawn for the Luthor family, one that had less to do with supposed ancestral homes being reconstructed brick by brick than Lionel would have planned. Although he hadn't actually planned this, the destruction of the mansion was very much a welcome thing, Lex mused as a nondescript yet expensive charcoal grey car drove up the driveway and came to a halt. Lauren Trevor picked her way through the wreckage, not being dainty as much as simply trying to not fall. She reached Lex in three steps and then regarded him silently with her impenetrable blue stare. She had silently followed Lex's cues, and Lauren's suits were more flatteringly tailored, the grey and white of her wardrobe relieved by shades of eggplant, forest green and burgundy that Lex wholeheartedly approved of.

"The insurance adjuster stopped by the office this morning." Lauren handed him an envelope. "More than enough to rebuild, if you wanted."

"I don't think so." Lex put the envelope in his jacket pocket. "What did you find out about that vault key?"

"Your father had several vaults and only in the last month before he died began consolidating the contents. The last one was in the Caribbean." Lauren raised her eyebrows. "It was cleared two weeks ago."

Lex laughed bitterly. "Why am I not surprised? Did you get a handle on what the contents were?"

"No. Mr. Whitcomb only arranged the vaults for your father. Our firm was never privy to what Lionel kept in them." Lauren answered. "The other matter is the one I wanted to talk to you about."

"The Talon? What about it?" Lex looked at his attorney. "When do we close on it?" It had begun to rain, but Lex ignored the drops even as Lauren Trevor opened her black umbrella.

"You don't. It was purchased by Martha Kent, they closed the deal a week ago." She told him as they walked toward their cars. "I hope you don't mind some free advice."

"Free advice? From a lawyer? I'm not sure that's possible." Lex laughed. "Go ahead."

"The sooner you put Smallville and everything in it behind you, the better off you'll be. The Luthorcorp Towers penthouse is ready, and you have your company to get back. Forget this place and move on." Lauren frowned slightly as she looked around. "There really isn't anything here to hold you, after all. Just corn."

"That's the free advice?" Lex asked with a mocking grin, and Lauren rolled her eyes, not smiling at all. Her dour mood suited the day, and Lex actually found Lauren's slightly grim presence amusing. It was a change after Lana's sweet helplessness and Callista's more aggressive style.

"Yes. And the last you'll get from me." She said tersely, her face perfectly straight. "If you need me, call the office." Lauren got into her car and drove off, leaving Lex alone in his driveway beside his own car, looking up at the remains of his former home as the rain began to fall harder as if to wash away any last trace of the Luthors in the small farm community of Smallville forever.

Ever since the day Clark had watched the Fortress emerge from the Arctic ice, he was stricken with awe at the majestic place, even during the times that he despised being there. Today was no exception. The days were growing shorter up at the Fortress, and the rich light of the late day struck rainbows from every crystalline pillar, and Clark could not help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of this structure. He had unpacked all of Lionel's crystals, and spread them out on the floor, admiring their color and clarity. Each one seemed to resonate at a different frequency when touched, and glow slightly brighter as well. Clark picked up a blue one, and went to the console. He carefully slid the crystal in the tube and waited. He looked around, and tapped the crystal lightly, sending a bell-like chime ringing through the vaulted Fortress.

"The Archive cannot be accessed that way, Kal-El." Jor-El's voice was slightly amused. You must assemble it." The hologram of Jor-El manifested beside Clark at the console. "I am glad to see that all of the crystals are here."

"Lionel wasn't one to give up very easily." Clark remarked, removing the crystal from the tube. "So what do I do now?"

"Each crystal resonates at a frequency of it's own, generating a resonance field. You should be able to sense these fields. They will guide you through the assembly process. When the fields are compatible, the crystals will fuse together."

Clark nodded, and began the process of matching the resonance fields. One by one, the crystals melded together to form the most perfect sphere Clark had ever seen. Completed, it hovered in the air, spinning, sending off waves of light that began to further refine the Fortress until it was less inhospitable and resembled an actual building. Not that Clark was affected either way by temperature, but it seemed to him that the Fortress had also become warmer. One crystal remained, a glowing, opalescent stone the size of Clark's palm. It lay on the now smooth white floor, the light from the Archive at war with the light that eminated from the crystal itself. Frowning, Clark picked it up and studied it, turning it over and over in his hands.

"There's one missing." Clark said looking at the hologram of his father questioningly. "What do I do with this one?"

"You hold in your hand the heart of the Archive." Jor-El said, "It must be thrust into the center of the sphere."

Clark looked down at the stone in his hand, and he could feel it beating, as if it were alive. He looked back up at Jor-El. "The Archive is a living thing?"

"Not in the same way as you are a living creature, my son. But the Archive is sentient. It will learn and continue to gather knowledge. You are it's protector as well as it's student, Kal-El." The hologram of Jor-El grew more vivid and detailed, the Archive already fleshing out details that were not included in the holograms design. Clark could see the exact shade of his fathers eyes now, the same green-blue as Clark's own, and his dark hair was shot through with white. The hologram bowed formally, touching his hands to his forehead. Clark imitated the gesture, and Jor-El smiled. "You have done well, my son. Go. The task for today is complete."

Clark nodded, and then turned to the hologram. "Was my mother's image recorded as yours was, Jor-El?"

Jor-El paused slightly, as if surprised by Clark's question. "It will be a simple matter for the Archive to reconstruct Lara and apply the holographic image program to the archival data. When you return, Kal-El, your mother will be waiting with me to greet you."

Chloe stood at the nurse's station, tapping her fingers on the desk while she waited. Wanting to have her mother transferred was her father's idea. Oliver had found a top notch hospital just outside of Seattle that Chloe had felt comfortable with as soon as she'd seen it. She hadn't been able to find out a whole lot about her mother since she'd gone to see her that first time after the whole Gretchen business, and Chloe hoped that by moving her mother, they could continue to build their relationship, such as it was. A nurse in soft green scrubs appeared around the corner. She smiled at Chloe and waved her over. "I think you'll find your mother very alert today, Chloe. It's a good day."

"Thanks." Chloe took a deep breath and pushed her hair behind her ears before going into the sun drenched day room. Her mother was sitting there alone, sketching on a big pad of blank newspaper stock. The older woman didn't look up when Chloe walked in, but continued drawing. 'Hi, Mom."

"I'm drawing my daughter." Sarah Sullivan said, shading a section of the face she had drawn expertly. "She's five."

Chloe smiled. "Oh? What is she like?"

"Very smart." Sarah told her matter of factly. "She can read better than I can, and makes up stories about all kinds of things. My sister in law Ella has two girls, close to my baby's age. They play together and it's so wonderful to see." Sarah looked up and smiled at Chloe, handing her the sketch. "This is my girl."

Chloe took it and looked down at the picture. The sketch was nearly photographic in it's resemblance to Chloe as a child. A sunny smile lit the little girl's face, and her hands were raised over her head, begging to be picked up. Tears welled in Chloe's eyes as she took in the image, and then looked over at her mother. Sarah had risen, and was looking into Chloe's face as innocently as a kindergartener.

"You can have that, if you want." Sarah said, setting her pencil down. "I have her face right here." She covered her heart with her hand. "Are you here to visit someone?"

"Yes, to visit you." Chloe replied, and Sarah smiled happily. "To talk to you a little."

"Me?" Sarah blushed. "My sister in law comes to see me, and sometimes my husband. My daughter is too little." She looked up at Chloe again. "You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"I was here before. I'm a friend." Chloe said, against the lump in her throat. "I wanted to know if you wanted to change hospitals, to a very pretty one by the ocean."

"Oh, I don't know..." Sarah replied, hugging herself. "Gabe promised that he'd bring my Chloe to me when she was old enough. I don't want to be far from her when that happens." Her eyes glimmered as she took in Chloe's anguished expression. "You are my friend...and I hope you understand. I can't be far away."

"Okay." Chloe nodded, wiping away a tear. "I do understand."

Sarah nodded, and walked away, talking to herself about her future visit with her daughter. Chloe looked down at the picture in her hand and sighed. She turned, hearing a gentle knock on the door, and smiled to see Oliver standing there. Like Clark, Oliver seemed most at home in jeans, but in his business attire, Oliver could easily give Lex a run for his money, Chloe thought as Oliver waved at her hesitantly.

"Hey." Chloe smiled, holding out a hand. "I thought you were going to wait outside." Oliver moved to her, and Chloe thrilled a little as Oliver's hand covered hers protectively.

"Yeah." He looked around, and then his sharp green eyes landed on Sarah. "Thought you might want the company after all. You act so big and tough, but this has to be killing you."

"Oliver, how can I tell her? She doesn't even know me." Chloe asked, running her hand on the lapel of Oliver's jacket. "She thinks Lois is my aunt."

Oliver rolled his eyes goodnaturedly at the mention of Lois. "I can go get her doctor, if you think that will help." He looked down at Chloe and smiled. "I could always finesse her with the old Queen family charm, too."

"Right." Chloe laughed, pushing Oliver gently. "A lethal weapon."

"Yes. Illegal for use outside of Seattle, I know." Oliver nodded, teasing. Sarah was watching them, a look of soft bemusement on her face. Oliver looked back at her and Sarah's face lit up with a smile. She shyly approached them, smiling.

"Hello." Sarah said, her forehead creased in a small frown. "I feel as though I should know you, since you are such good friends with my friend."

"I'm actually a friend of," Oliver looked down at her face. "Gabes."

"You know my husband!" Sarah squealed, taking his hand. Oliver winked at Chloe, who nodded encouragingly.

"Yes, I'm his boss." Oliver told her seriously. "And I have a really big problem that you can help me with."

"Anything to help Gabe's career." Sarah replied, seeming more lucid than she had in quite awhile. "Just ask."

"I have to transfer Gabe to Seattle. I've sent him out there already, to find a house and check out the schools. But he told me that the only reason he couldn't accept this transfer is because you love it here so much." Oliver took Sarah's hand and gently led her to a seat. "You'd be doing me a huge favor if you'd consider moving to Seattle, Mrs. Sullivan. I really need Gabe out there."

Sarah considered this as carefully as if Oliver had proposed marriage. "Are the schools good?"

"Top flight." Oliver nodded somberly. "Colleges are awesome."

"College." Sarah pondered this, and eyes wide looked up at Chloe. "Do you want to move, sweetheart?"

Chloe gasped. "Mom?"

"I think so." Sarah said wonderingly. "The doctor said these moments of clarity won't last long, so I have to talk fast. Do you want to move?"

"Yes. I have some great opportunities and so does Dad. All we need out there is you." Chloe explained, and Sarah nodded, looking up at Oliver.

"Well, if all the opportunities are like this guy..." Sarah patted Oliver's cheek. "I approve."

"Approve?" Oliver asked, "So you'll transfer?"

"Of course." Sarah smiled again. "And I'll be at your wedding, too." She stood and kissed Chloe, her eyes full of tears. "I'm going to my room now, before I start to slip back. I love you, honey. Come visit me in the new hospital all the time, okay?"

"I will." Chloe hugged her mother tightly, reveling in the contact as Sarah's arms closed around her fiercely. "I love you too, Mom." The embrace broke gently, and Sarah looked at the picture of Chloe that she had sketched earlier critically.

"Not a bad likeness. Next time I'll draw one of you now. So beautiful." Sarah kissed her daughter's cheeks before she shuffled away, carrying her pad and pencils. "So beautiful."

Chloe stood there as the door closed behind her mother, staring at Oliver in shock. "You are magic."

"No, Goldilocks. It's you who are magic." Oliver said, closing his arms around her. "All kinds of good things have happened to me since I met you. It's just time for a little of it to come back your way."

Lana had packed everything she owned and everything she wanted to take with her to Gotham City. The rest Mrs. Kent had agreed to store in the Talon's basement, for when Lana was ready to retrieve it. With the money from the sale of the Talon, she had more than enough for school, and had even rented a very nice apartment near campus in the Gotham Village section, a funky, bohemian neighborhood that seemed to attract the artsy, creative people. Now, she was going over the arrangements for the bon voyage party she was giving. Lionel's scholarship had been deposited in the bank, and Lana suddenly felt very grown up. It hardly seemed possible that she was leaving Smallville, probably for good. But it was time. The party was to celebrate several things: the sale of the Talon to Mrs. Kent, Chloe's relocation to Seattle, Lois' new career and Lana's own departure. The bells over the door rang, and Lana turned, as she had a thousand times before and found herself face to face with Clark.

"I came to help." Clark said, a smile playing around his mouth. "There's still time to help, right?"

"There's always time to help." Lana smiled brightly, glad to see even a flicker of happiness in Clark's eyes again. Losing Lori had nearly destroyed him, and Lana had discouraged Lois' from fixing him up with anyone, understanding that of all things, Clark did everything in his own time. "I have some boxes I need to bring down to the basement."

"No problem." Clark shrugged. "Point me in the right direction."

Lana grinned, and walked to the swinging doors and pushed one open. "After you."

"I still can't believe you're leaving." Clark said as he followed Lana down the basement steps, carrying a very large box. "It's not going to be Smallville without you."

Lana took a deep breath in, and nodded. "It feels good to be moving. What about you, Clark?" She pushed a heavy lock of dark hair behind her ear and looked up at him. "You're the only one staying behind."

"Lois is here." Clark replied. "And believe me, that's not much of an argument for staying. I've actually been thinking about traveling. I can take next semesters courses online, so I could do it. And I've already talked to Perry about writing about my trip, so I can still have the paycheck and I'll get school credit too."

"Traveling? You?" Lana's face broke into a huge smile. "You get carsick..."She put her hand to where her meteor rock necklace used to be. "My necklace made you sick. You wanted to sit next to me on the bus to Metropolis..."

Clark shrugged, grinning good naturedly. "You caught me. It was worth it. Lana, I know you found out about my secret in the worst possible way, but I want you to know, I never kept it from you to hurt you."

"I know." Lana nodded. "It's taken me a long time to understand it, but I realize that now." She reached out and hesitantly touched his hand. "I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah." Clark closed his hand around Lana's. "I'm going to miss you too. I have a surprise for you. Come on, the surprise is waiting for you upstairs." He said, a grin lighting up his face in the way that always made Lana's heart flip. They were friends, after everything, Lana smiled as Clark towed her back up the steps, but that didn't change the fact that Clark Kent was easily the best looking man Lana had ever seen. She followed him out into the Talon, and stopped, surprised. A tall young black man was standing by himself looking around the Talon as if he were memorizing it forever. And then, Pete Ross grinned at both of them, from just inside the doors. Lana felt her stomach fill with tiny butterflies, all fluttering madly. Something about Pete had changed, Lana realized. He seemed older, more confident and Lana felt her cheeks flush at the realization that she liked that new confidence on him. Pete set his bag down and laughed at Lana's expression as Clark came forward to shake his hand.

. "Where's Chloe? What kind of reunion is this without her?" Pete's voice had matured as well, and he took Lana by the hands to study her as intently as he had the Talon just moments before. "It's great to see you, Lana. You look, amazing."

Lana laughed, dropping her gaze. "I'm a mess. Are you here for the party?"

"Actually, no. I mean, I'm here and I'll be at the party tonight for sure. But I was driving to school. I transferred to Georgetown." Pete told her, looking back at Clark. "One of us had to go Ivy League."

"Georgetown? Pete, that's wonderful." Lana said, and Clark nodded, folding his arms over his chest as he always seemed to do when he didn't know what to do with his long arms. "Driving?"

"Yeah, my brother fixed up this sweet car for me. I had to come out from Wichita to get it." Pete frowned at Clark. "I was going to ask CK here if he wanted to drive east with me, but he's got plans. You're going to school in Gotham City, and that's only eight hours from Georgetown. I could drop you off, Lana." Pete said this as easily as if he were dropping her off at Smallville High, but Lana felt herself smiling widely at the idea.

"That would be such fun. I really wasn't looking forward to flying anyway."She said, and Pete nodded. "I'd love to."

Anyone passing the Talon that night would have seen the windows blazing with light, the cafe full of friends and family all there to share their well wishes. Anyone passing the Talon that night would have no idea at all of the future that lie ahead for the young people that were heading out on their separate roads. What the casual observer would have seen was that two girls in the room were enchanted. The petite blonde had nothing but smiles for the tall man with her, whose quick smile and wit kept her in giggles and whose protective embrace made her feel like she could go anywhere, do anything. A delicate brunette was engrossed in an intense conversation with an animated young man whose Georgetown sweatshirt was as proudly worn as any uniform, neither of them interested in the rest of the party. Lois thought about these things, watching the festivities from the stairs to her apartment. Her date, the cute EMT she'd met the day of the fire, Patrick, wound up being on duty, so she had gone to the party alone. It was just as well, really, Lois thought, sipping her soda thoughtfully. She had some research she wanted to read over on Lionel Luthor. The date of his death was curious, as it happened his parents had died on that same day nearly forty years earlier.It seemed too strange to be a coincidence, but as Chloe had often told her, life in Smallville was 99 about strange coincidences. Standing, Lois looked over the crowd again. Lana and Pete were indeed very much involved in a lengthy and intense conversation, and Chloe was dancing with Oliver. Martha and Perry White were watching the fun too, Perry leaning over every so often to say something to Martha, his quick eyes watching for her reaction. Now he was taking her to dance, and Lois felt slightly giddy. She had thought of Jonathan Kent as something of a father figure, and loved Martha as if she were her own mother. Seeing Martha smile at a new man, even if only in friendly way, made Lois want to cry. Taking a deep breath in, Lois began to climb up the steps, when she saw Clark, standing by himself near the counter, a bemused expression on his face. From Lois' angle, she couldn't tell which couple had caught his attention. Intrigued, she went back down the steps and leaned against the counter beside Clark. Reaching into her pocket, Lois pulled out a quarter, and slapped it on the counter. Clark turned to look at her, surprised by her presence, and Lois found herself wondering how it was she'd never noticed how cute Clark Kent actually was. She tossed her head a little, and pointed to the coin.

"Inflation dictates that thoughts now go for twenty five cents." Lois announced, and Clark nodded. "What's on your mind, Smallville?"

"I was just thinking about how much I'm going to miss everything and everyone." Clark said candidly, pushing Lois' quarter toward her gently. "Your turn."

Lois looked down at the quarter. "You want to know what I'm thinking? Really?"

"Forget it." Clark smiled his usual one where Lois was concerned and she put her hand on his arm. Both surprised at the contact, Lois snatched her hand away and wiped it on her jeans, and Clark looked away, over at his mother, who was still dancing with Perry White.

"You gave me the quarter, so I owe you." Lois nodded resolutely. "I was just wondering what is going to happen to all of us."

Clark turned back, interested. "Lois. You and Chloe will always be close. Distance won't get in the way."

"I know that." Lois rolled her eyes. "I just meant in ten years, will we all still be friends? I've moved around alot, and Smallville is the first place that felt like home in a long time that wasn't painted olive green."

Clark looked out at the party and nodded, smiling. "I think we'll all stay friends.." He looked around. "Where's the famous Patrick?"

"There was an emergency." The music had slowed, and Lois sighed a little. "Come on, Smallville. May as well dance with me. It is a party."

"Don't step on my feet." Clark said, grinning, and Lois eyed him curiously. She took his his hand, and then looked up at him.

"Why doesn't it ever hurt you when I punch you in the arm?" Lois asked, and Clark guided her out to the dance floor.

"You don't hit that hard, you know." Clark replied, passing Lois under his arm before they actually started to dance. Her eyes sparkled, registering his teasing tone, and she grinned.

"I'll hit harder next time." Lois said, relaxing into the music and allowing him to guide her. "Your dancing has improved since that birthday party we had for Chloe. You were all goofy and stupid that night..."

"Lois?" Clark grinned at her and she looked up at him. There was something pretty special about this farmer, Lois thought to herself, if only he wasn't so, well, Clarkish. Some girl would actually be pretty lucky to have him someday.

"What?" She asked, fighting the urge to rest her head on his shoulder. Clark's shoulders were pretty wide, and strong.

"Shut up. I can't hear the song." Clark said quietly, his grin mocking her. Lois grinned back at him, and jabbed him in the shoulder.

"I like this song, too."Lois said and did let herself rest her head on his shoulder.

"_...There's four roads to anywhere  
Four ways to everything  
We were unbreakable  
We spoke our destiny  
Let's take a moment out  
Go were we never go  
Let's make a new world now _

Where we can wear each other for awhile  
I'll lend you my tears if I could borrow your smile  
We'll get through tomorrow somehow today  
Happy After...

Once upon these days..."

_from "**These Days**" - Chantal Kreviazuk_

_**Part II - Decade**_

"_Even Heroes have the right to bleed _

_I may be disturbed...but won't you concede _

_Even Heroes have the right to dream It's not easy to be me_.

_Up, up and away...away from me _

_It's all right...You can all sleep sound tonight …"_

_Five for Fighting – **Superman**_

The day Clark Kent moved into his new apartment was also the first day that Superman was spotted, a red and blue blur, in the skies over Metropolis. The only thing that outwardly connected the two events was a similar color palette in Clark Kent's belongings, red and blue always being favorites of his. Otherwise, nothing could possibly be similar between the bespectacled young reporter who unloaded boxes gracelessly from his dilapidated pickup truck and the mysterious do-gooder who already had women straining their eyes for a glimpse at him. The new apartment was perfect, not too small, definitely not big though, in the still affordable loft district, well in walking distance to The Daily Planet. Most people like to have company when they get settled in a new place, but Clark preferred to be alone. He had friends, of course, but all of them were involved in their own lives. The plan had always been to come back to Metropolis, and Clark spotted the familiar white stationery of The Daily Planet in the stack of mail. Perry White had taken over for Pauline Kahn four years ago, and had kept his promise to Clark, carrying over the column Clark had started for the Smallville Ledger about his travels, college experiences and so on. First in the red leather journal he'd gotten from Lois, and then into the laptop computer from his mother and Chloe Sullivan that had found him in a small fishing village in Newfoundland for his 21st birthday. Clark had faithfully recorded the details of his life, editing the memories into articles Perry would publish in the Smallville Ledger and now the Daily Planet. It had kept him in boots and jeans until school finished, then through his first jobs in journalism. He'd worked hard and almost anonymously to move up the ladder, rejecting offers of help and jobs from his more successful friends, Peter R. Ross, Esq., political analyst and Chloe Sullivan-Queen, Emmy award winning broadcast journalist. Pete had connections with up and coming politicians, men who wanted press secretaries and speechwriters. Finding Clark a spot with one of them was like picking corn back in Smallville. You simply had to open your hand close enough to a cornfield and breathe. Chloe, on the other hand, offered jobs in investigative journalism, first with the station she worked for, and then for the network she was the figurehead symbol for, often reminding him of their days together on their high school newspaper and the power in the press to do good. Also weighing in was Chloe's husband, Oliver, billionaire and mayor of Seattle, whose advice about things like jobs and such was usually funny and wise, but whose counsel about things more secret and noble Clark valued beyond words. Letters from around the world came from Lana Lang, soon to be Lana Ross, as well. The postmarks were always a surprise to Clark, London, New York, Milan, Paris. Lana's letters did not offer job advice, or witty remarks on the benefits of joblessness when one decided on a career in crime fighting. Lana's letters were simple, thoughtful and sometimes humorous accounts of her adventures in fashion and offers of matchmaking on Clark's behalf. His mother also wrote, her letters more detailed and loving counterpoints to the dashed off notes from Perry White that accompanied the checks sent in exchange for Clark's articles. Of Lex Luthor, Clark heard nothing other than what the world heard, young state senator, young US senator, favorite for Kansas governor. Serially married and recently divorced (again), Lex Luthor cut a wide path through the society, financial and political pages, and Clark couldn't help but to pay attention. And Lois Lane had become a passing mention in a quick phone call with Chloe, or a casual mention in one of his mother's chatty letters. Dropping the mail on the counter, Clark walked to the kitchen window and opened it wide. The city sounds made their way up to him from the street, and Clark nodded. He'd missed Kansas, missed Metropolis and it was good to be home. The phone rang and Clark picked up on the first ring.

"Hi, Mom." He said, smiling into the phone.

"Hardly, well not yet and not yours.." Chloe's voice replied, full of it's familiar snark and charm. "Heard you took a flying tour of the city. Did you settled yet?"

"Hardly." Clark answered honestly, looking around at his collection of unpacked boxes. "Hear from Pete?"

"No." Chloe answered, looking over her shoulder at the view of the city from the suite she had at the Metropolis Grand. "But his flight doesn't get in until six. Lana and I just had lunch, though." She ran a hand over her swelling belly. "I know they say 'eating for two', but I think I really did today."

"Nice." Clark smiled, thinking of his empty refrigerator. "Keep the leftovers for me. I'm poor, remember. I haven't started working yet."

"Awww." Chloe laughed. "Come up, Oliver is just getting in and could use the company. He'll feed you. I have to go the studio and do a voice over for my piece on advances in medical technology. Wayne Enterprises has come up with this really amazing thing…." She trailed off, sensing his disinterest. "Just come up to the suite when you are ready. I want you to tell me what color to paint the nursery when I get home."

"Very funny." Clark's smile widened. "I already told you. Blue."

"Okay." Chloe's giggle hadn't changed at all. "See you later." She hung up, and just as Clark set the phone down, it rang again.

"What kind of ice cream this time, and I'm not going to…" Clark said, and his mother's throaty laugh startled him. "Oh, Mom…Chloe just called."

Martha Kent nodded, watching the activity in her restaurant, The Talon Metropolis. "Stop by and I'll give you some cookies to take her. How is she feeling?"

"She sounds good. Like Chloe, just pregnant." Clark told his mother, as he opened a box. "I'm going up there to see Oliver for a little while."

"Well, when you get those cookies, I have some apple turnovers for you and the new baker sent over some date nut muffins. I know Oliver will like those." Martha reviewed the pastry case. The urge to feed her son and his friends had not disappeared at all. "I wonder if Pete still likes almond crescents."

"I'll stop to see you first." Clark reached into the box, and pulled out pictures, framed photos that had been in his dorm and then in the small efficiencies he'd rented after college. Shelby, his golden coat gleaming in the sun, and Jonathan Kent looking up from his work to smile at the camera. Clark looked at the pictures for a minute, smiling back at his father and then touching the face of the dog sadly. He'd been in the Pacific Islands helping after a tsunami when his loyal dog had quietly died in his sleep. "I'm thinking of getting a dog."

"Right, Clark. That's the last thing you need." Martha said, dismissing her son's whim with maternal practicality. "Get fish or a cat if you have to have a pet. Okay, honey, I have to go…don't forget to call Perry. He's chomping at the bit to get you started at the Planet ."

"I won't." Clark said, nodding. He hung up again and picked up a box, carrying it into the living room. Clark set the box down, looked at his watch and called Perry White. In less than ten seconds, Clark was changed into a sedate blue suit and out the door. He strolled down the street, enjoying the early autumn weather and the sounds of the city. He'd been all over the world, and Clark had noticed that each city had a music of it's own, and his favorite was Metropolis. Pleasantly distracted, Clark walked right into a tall, dark haired woman who grabbed on to his jacket to keep from falling. Her full cup of coffee hit the sidewalk with a splat and she turned to look at him accusingly, her hazel eyes shining with annoyance. There was something familiar about her face, but Clark could not place it, it seemed the face belonged to someone else who was not quite as well dressed, someone whose hair was lighter and streaked from the sun.

"Hey, why don't you look where you're going, you big klutz!" She spat, looking down at the legs of her pants to inspect them for coffee damage. "I swear, you tourists..." Her voice again was familiar, but Clark couldn't quite place it, as she turned back to him expectantly,hands on her hips.

"I'm so sorry, really. I just moved to town and I was taking it all in. Let me buy you a new coffee." Clark offered, and the woman looked at him again, her face resolving into a resigned good humor. One perfect eyebrow arched over her eyes, and she grinned. Then he recognized her and couldn't believe he'd not done so before. _Lois._ "Lois! I didn't even recognize you."

"Smallville. I should have known." Lois shook her head. "Your mother said you were coming back." She pointed toward the coffee shop and they walked there together, falling into step with each other easily. "I like your glasses."

"Uh, yeah." Clark adjusted them with a shy smile as he held the coffee shop door open for her. "I was in London, and I realized that I was getting headaches without..." Lois held up a hand and made her way to the counter, to order her coffee again. Clark followed dutifully behind, and waited while she spoke to the kid behind the counter.

"Yeah, seen everything, been everywhere." Lois singsonged, after ordering her drink, picking up the conversation again. "Chloe and your mom kept me up to date. I know we were never really close, Clark, but a post card might have been nice. 'Hi, Lois, how are you? Were you ever in Prague? Where's the best place for goulash?' " She rolled her eyes. "Not that I'd have written back anyway."

"That's what I thought." Clark replied, genuinely taken aback by her statement. "So, I'm on my way to the Daily Planet? You? Still working at the Metropolis Journal?"

"The Journal?" Lois shook her head. A mischevious grin lit up her face. "That was just for my internship during school. Come on, I'll walk with you to the Planet and make sure you don't knock anyone else over."

They walked to the Daily Planet, chatting companionably about Lana's upcoming wedding, (they were both going), Chloe's baby, (they disagreed about what it was going to be, which made Clark laugh), and Martha's new cafe, (which was Lois' favorite place in all of Metropolis) and before long they were standing at the Art Deco entrance to the Planet.

"Well, here's your stop." Lois nodded toward the revolving doors with a reassuring smile. "Knock 'em dead."

"Yeah." Clark looked at her. "So, you work nearby?"

"Uh-huh." Lois smiled, looking at Clark over her coffee cup.

"Well, I'd better go. It's been great seeing you, Lois." Clark smiled and turned toward the doors. "See you at the wedding this weekend."

"Oh, not if I see you first." Lois said, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. When Clark disappeared into the building, Lois turned and walked quickly around to the service entrance. The three maintenance men that were lounging at the door snapped to attention, and Lois grinned. She loved having that effect on people, and often used it to get what she wanted. Today was no exception.

"Hey, Miss Lane. Help you with something?" One of them said, and Lois nodded.

"I need an express trip up to my floor, Tommy. Think the service elevator can handle that?" Lois asked, dropping her empty cup in the garbage can.

"You better believe it. Hop in." Tommy said, and in seconds, it seemed, Lois was at her desk, head down, as Clark got off the elevator from the lobby. He looked around, and found his way to Perry's office. She sat back and counted to three. Perry's door opened, and the editor stuck his head out of his office and bellowed.

"LANE, OLSEN! Get in here! The new guy is here and I want you two to show him the ropes! " Perry pulled his door shut with a crash and Lois smiled. Smallville wasn't even going to know what hit him. She rose from her desk and sauntered into Perry's office.

"What is it, Chief?" Lois asked, trying to look casual, although she so desperately wanted to see Clark's face as he got her joke on him.

"You will be working with Clark here. Just like the good old days at the Smallville Ledger I want you to show Clark around, help him get adjusted to life here at the Planet." Perry said, sitting down at his desk. Before Lois could reply, Perry thumped his fist on his desk and groaned. "And where is that kid? Where the hell is Olsen?"

Perry's door swung open, and Jimmy Olsen burst in. "Chief, Miss Lane, there's a hostage situation going on at City Hall! I just heard about it on the police scanner. " Clark smiled to himself, wondering if it was the same one Perry had given him to use at the Ledger.

"Let's go, Jimmy." Lois turned to leave. "Sorry, Clark. The tour of the Daily Planet will have to happen tomorrow."

"I think I'll come with you." Clark replied, standing. "Might as well jump right in."

"Good, good." Perry waved them out. "Bring me back a front page story, kids. Oh, and welcome to the bigs, Clark."

The crowd outside City Hall was easy enough for Clark to lose Lois and Jimmy in, and he did, backtracking until he found a safe place to change. In a flash, Clark sped up into the sky and down into City Hall. He could see the hostages, a woman and two children, and their captor, a desperate looking man with a gun in his hand and explosives strapped to his body, just inside the domed rotunda of the building. Two police officers were lying on the marble floor, and Clark scanned them quickly. Relieved that they were still alive, Clark dropped from the balcony, floating to the floor silently. The man jumped, startled, and the gun rose shaking to Clark's heart level. The children gasped, and the boy pointed at the "S" on Clark's chest, whispering to his sister cautiously. Both children were terrified.

"Who the hell are you?" The man said, his voice quavering. "Cops don't wear red capes."

"No, they don't." Clark said, raising his hands. "I'm just a friend. I'd like to try and help you if I can. Why don't you let these nice people go, and you and I can talk. What's your name, sir?"

" I'm Ed. These are my kids." The man said, pointing to the children with his other hand. "That," He pointed the gun at the woman, who was hovering as protectively as she could over the children. "Is the reason why I'm here today like this. She's the one who took my kids from me."

Clark looked over at the woman. She was afraid, but her main concern was the children. "Who are you, ma'am?"

"Marian Fitzsimmons, Department of Children and Family Services." She answered Clark without taking her eyes off of her captor. "I was taking the children to their grandmother in Lowell County. She was granted custody of them after their mother died this year. This man has been on the run with them. He's out on bail himself for kidnapping."

"They're my kids..." Ed argued, looking back at Clark pleadingly. "Their mother and I didn't see eye to eye, and when I left that was it. She never told me she was dying. I came back when I heard, and took them with me. I'm their father. How is that kidnapping?"

"This isn't the way to handle it," Clark said, thinking about Jonathan Kent and how protectively he'd guarded him and his secret all those years. "Look at your children. They are afraid of you. They don't understand what you are trying to do here. Why don't you put the gun down, and hand over those explosives and let's talk this out?"

Ed looked at his children and his shoulders began to shake. He put the gun down and kicked it toward Clark. "I can't help my kids this way, you're right."

Clark nodded, and pushed the gun away. "Now the explosives." The man nodded, and fumbled with the braces and clips that fastened the harness to his body. There was a click and a small whine and Ed looked up in panic. "What is it?"

"I accidentally activated the controls." He told Clark. "You have to get my kids out of here."

"No, I have to get that bomb out of here." Clark grabbed the harness, ripping it free from Ed's body and soaring through the air. "Give yourself up, Ed. Do it now.." Clark flew from the City Hall building carrying the bomb and tossed it up into the air, where it exploded in a blaze of yellow light, but otherwise harmlessly. As he dropped back to the ground, Ed was being led out of the building in handcuffs, sobbing. His children followed, holding the hands of the social worker, both of them crying as well.

"Wait," Clark stopped police officers. "Let him say goodbye to his children. Give him a minute to explain."

Listen, hero..."The first officer began, but the second officer nodded and let Ed turn to kneel before his children.

"I'm sorry. I hope you both know that. I love you more than anything in the whole world, but it looks like Daddy screwed up. Again. Your mother was right. Be good for your grandma, and I promise I'll see you when I can." The children broke away from the social worker and hugged their father, wailing. "Hey, hey...Lowell County is nice. Your mom loved living there as a kid, and you will too. It's going to be okay."

Clark smiled. "I'll leave the rest to you all." He nodded at the officers and the social worker.

"Thank you for your help." The social worker said told him and the children looked up from their father and nodded.

"Glad I could help." Clark said, and he flew off. Lois and Jimmy, along with the rest of the press were buzzing with the story of the mysterious Good Samaritan in blue and red that appeared out of nowhere and resolved the situation. By the time Clark changed and got back to Lois, she was already dictating her story to herself while Jimmy snapped pictures of the little family being led in seperate directions. Lois looked up at him and sighed.

"Where were you? That was a story and a half right there." Lois snapped, and Clark shrugged uncomfortably.

"I'm going to go to the jail and interview the father later. Get his side of the story, you know?" Clark said, and Lois shook her head.

"Still gotta get the soft angle of the piece, huh? Okay, do whatever you want, Clark." She looked at her watch. "We'd better go. Chloe wanted all of us to meet for dinner." Lois waved at Jimmy. "Get those pictures in and tell the Chief I'll have my story in his e-mail tonight."

"You got it, Miss Lane. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kent." Jimmy replied, waving back before he went back to the Daily Planet.

Lois and Clark walked to the Metropolis Grand in silence. Every so often, Lois would look up into the sky and then shake her head.

"What's wrong, Lois?" Clark asked, and Lois looked up at him, frowning.

"Where did he go?" She wondered aloud, looking up at the sky again. "And where did he come from?"

"Who?" Clark's question was tentative. "That poor guy who kidnapped his kids?"

"No, the other guy...the one in the red and blue suit. You know," She waved her hand as she searched for the word. "Superman." Lois paused and then turned around. "Clark, tell Chloe I'm going to be late. I have to go back to The Planet for awhile."

"Oh, okay." Clark waved, hiding his laugh until she'd gone. Lois hadn't recognized him. Clark grinned and went inside the hotel, anxious to see his other friends.

The wedding of Pete and Lana was an understated affair, because neither of them wanted anything big, and the fact that Lana was hip deep in getting her new solo fashion show ready to hit the runway. The ceremony had been short, and the reception was in full swing. Lana looked lovely, her long dark hair piled into a flowing cascade at the back of her head, and her dress a shining swath of pearly silk, with no extra embellishments. Her only jewelry consisted of her wedding and engagement ring and an elegant pair of pearl earrings she had found in a Milanese flea market. Chloe, the matron of honor and ready to deliver her baby, also was radiant in a scarlet gown that nearly was the same shade of the roses Lana had chosen for her bouquet. The off the shoulder neckline only enhanced Chloe's satisfied glow, and she wore heirloom rubies from Oliver's grandmother's collection, and the sweeping skirt did a very nice job of minimizng the soft curve of her pregnant belly. Pete, of course, seemed to be ready to burst from excitement. Clark smiled as he watched Pete swirl Lana around the dance floor, both of them happily in love and perfectly contented. Chloe was talking with Lois about the latest Superman sighting on the west side of town, and Clark noticed the imperceptible wink as Chloe's eyelashes quickly dusted her cheek. Once again, Clark's accomplice network had picked up their banner, because Pete had almost had Lana convinced until she'd seen the paper. Jimmy Olsen's off handed shot of Clark standing on the steps of City Hall watching the little family embrace before being parted had undone all of Pete's careful protection of Clark.. Lana had looked at the paper, and then at Clark, a slow smile curving her face before she kissed Clark on the cheek. Now, though, Lois was the only one with Superman on the brain.

"Go save my wife, Superman." Oliver said, his voice a teasing drawl. "I'd shoot Lois, but people would talk."

Clark laughed, setting down his glass. "The brave Green Arrow is off duty, huh?"

"Nope, nope." Oliver shook his head. "I just think you're the man for the job."

"Gotcha." Clark nodded and walked over to where Chloe and Lois were talking. Lois was gorgeous in deep blue, the gown perfectly tailored and yet not so tight as she might have made it in the past. A wide band of navy beads marked the neckline, and Clark had to admit, no one carried off strapless gowns like Lois did. "You two look like you're plotting something."

"Plotting?" Lois asked, poking Clark sharply. "I never plot."

"We were talking about Superman. But, I'm going to take advantage and go dance with my husband." Chloe patted Lois on the arm. "See you, cousin."

Clark reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. He dropped it into Lois' hand. "I don't know if inflation has raised the price of thoughts, but between friends, a quarter should do it, don't you think?"

Lois looked down at the quarter in her hand and smiled. "You remembered that? I was so miserable at that party."

"I know. You look fantastic at this one." Clark told her, and Lois smiled, looking more like the girl Clark remembered.

"So do you, Smallville. I see you learned how to tie your ties, too." She nodded approvingly. "I was thinking about Superman."

Clark took her hand. "Want to dance? You can tell me your thoughts while we dance. Kill two birds with one stone."

"Yeah.." Lois grinned and let Clark lead her to the dance floor. The music had changed and the song was one Lois had come to associate with her time in Smallville. Clark held her hand very gently and Lois let him take her in his arms to dance. It was kind of like coming home a little, and Lois looked up at Clark, studying his face. Something about it made her think of the mysterious man in blue and red the other day, but Lois couldn't place it. Instead, she put the Superman out of her mind completely and smiled up at Clark.

"I'm glad we're going to be working together, Lois." Clark said, and Lois tapped him on the shoulder lightly. He looked down, as if surprised by the noise her hand made on his jacket rather than the impact of the slap. He looked at Lois questioningly and she smiled again, dropping her head to his shoulder.

"Shh. I can't hear the song.." It was good to have Clark back in Metropolis, Lois thought to herself. It felt right. Besides, she still needed the spell check help and Clark was a spelling whiz.

_"Tonight's the night we'll make history, honey, you and I  
And I'll take any risk to tie back the hands of time  
And stay with you here tonight  
I know you feel these are the worst of times  
I do believe it's true  
When people lock their doors and hide inside  
Rumor has it it's the end of Paradise  
But I know, if the world just passed us by  
Baby I know, you wouldn't have to cry _

The best of times are when I'm alone with you  
Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two  
Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime  
We'll take the best, forget the rest  
And someday we'll find these are the best of times  
These are the best of times

The headlines read 'these are the worst of times'  
I do believe it's true  
I feel so helpless like a boat against the tide  
I wish this summer wind could bring back Paradise  
But I know, if the world turned upside down  
Baby, I know you'd always be around

The best of times are when I'm alone with you  
Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two  
Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime  
We'll take the best, forget the rest  
And someday we'll find these are the best of times  
These are the best of times"

_**"Best of Times"** by Styx  
_


End file.
